
Pass H-DSo: 
Book ^3_ 







^. A-^QlX^ . 



The Laborer: 



A DISQUISITION Ol^ia^hE USAGES OF SOCIETY. 



BY WILLIAM DEALTRY, 

{Cabinet Maker ^ 

Author of "The History of Money 5 its Evils and Remedy,' 



" Oh mankind, what noble creatures you ought to be ! You have keys to all 
sciences, arts, and mysteries, but one ! You can" not frame a tolerable law 
for the life and soul of you. You lay down rules it is impossible to com- 
prehend, much less to obey. You call each other monsters because 
you can not conquer the impossibility! You invent all sorts of 
vices, under pretense of making laws for promoting virtue. You 
make yourselves as uncomfortable as you can by all sorts of 
galling, vexatious institutions." — Bulwer*s Paul Clifford. 



CINCINNATI. 
Wm. Dealtry, Compositor; R. Allison & Co., Stereotypers* 



MDCCCLXIX. 



.^? 






Ok 



Entered, according to an act of Congress, in the year 1869, by 

William Dealtry, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the 

Southern District of Ohio. 



STEREOTYPED AT THE FRANKLIN TYPE FOUNDRY, CINCINNATI, O. 



collection of 
opinions and his- 
torical facts are affec- 
tionately dedicated to the 




and those Senators who '^can not solve 
the labor question," and also to those who 
believe the hours of labor can be short- 
ened by industry, frugality, and the 
use of machinery; to those par- 
ents who wish their chil- 
dren saved from un- 
necessary labor; 
to those American youths 
who wish to become acquainted with 
their duties as citizens of the Great Republic. 
This book is kindly given by an humble laborer, 
with the earnest hope that it may teach them this. 




The author is indebted to these and others for his facts. 

R.aynars History of the East and West Indies, six volumes. 

Encyclopedia Britannica, Edinburgh edition of 1780. 

Abbott's French Revolution. 

Mildmay's Financial History of England, 

Smith's Wealth of Nations. 

Wade's History of the Middle and Working-classes. 

Giddings' Exiles of Florida. 

Chambers' Repository and Papers for the People. 

Godwin's Political Justice and Inquirer. 

Rev. Sidnev Smith's Works. 

Knight's Biographical Dictionary, six volumes. 

Hume's History of England. 

Randle's Life of Jefferson, three volumes. 

Glimpses of the Dark Ages. 

Carey's Social Science, three volumes. 

Bulwer's England and the English, two volumes. 

Stanton's Sketches of Reforms and Reformers. 

De Toqueville's Old Regime and the French Revolution. 

Ramsey's History of the United States and South Carolina. 

Hildreth's History of the United States, four volumes. 

Disraeli's Curiosities of Literature. 

Turner's Sacred History of the World. 

Miller's Schools and Schoolmasters. 

Lord Kame's History of Man, four volumes. 

Wesley's Works, thirty volumes, edition of 1780. 

Kay's Social condition of England. 

Pridden's History and present condition of Australia. 

Howitt's Rural Life in England. 

Abbott's life of William the Conqueror. 

Winterbottom's, Rochefoucalt^s, De Warville's, Weld's, 

Melish's,Volney's and Peto's Travels in the United States. 



PREFACE, 




pEALTH or fame is not the author's motive for 
writing this book ; it is to encourage the working- 
man to persevere in his efforts to shorten the 
hours of labor and ameliorate his condition. The la- 
borer who does so much for the happiness of mankind 
— who accomplishes such mighty works — ought to have 
the greatest reward; he deserves it. 

It has been said, if the laborers were educated, none 
would be found to black the boots or curry the horses 
of those who were above the laborer. Learning will, in 
time, level all inequalities of life. In boyhood, the writ- 
er read one of the American Tract Society's reprints, 
called the ''Shepherd of Salisbury Plain." A gentleman on 
horseback entered into a conversation about the weather. 
Said he, " Do you live where I see yonder smoke ?" Said 
the shepherd, ''No, I have not much firing, and some- 
times nothing to eat,^^ This narration moved the writer to 
tears, to think that there was one in this world so destitute. 
The writer's reflections on reading this were, the earth was 
full of abundance, and it needed labor to bring it out. 
This gentleman had a habit of taking a walk ^' to con- 



vi Preface. 

template the goodness of God." It occurred to the mind 
of the writer^ if this man would contemplate the goodness of 
God on the plow handles, it would be better for m.ankind. 
It is idleness on the part of others^ and robbery caused by 
governments^ that caused the shepherd's misery. This em- 
ployment could not be any better. This shepherd would 
not drink ale with the gentleman. He was very industrious. 
His earnings were a shilling a day. He had a wife and six 
children ; their food was mostly potatoes. This gentle- 
man paid the family a visit^ and overheard one of the chil- 
dren say, having salt to their food, they should be contented. 
Religion is not given us to make us contented with misery. 
This gentleman gave to the family blankets, which, perhaps, 
had been taken from a starved tenantry, in the shape of rent 
or profits on the labor of others. This shepherd was made 
a parson's clerk. On Sunday he wore a white robe and said 
''Amen" to the Church of England's prayers. The scanty 
pittance he got for this from the congregation only lessened 
their comforts of life. 

This tract led to this reflection, if all the kings^ nobles, 
priests, soldiers, lawyers, custom-house officers, and many 
others would do something of utility, there would be no 
poverty in the world. Hannah More wrote books to cure 
French infidelity. They got the name of" Village Chips." 
France was so full of philosophers, priests, nobles, kings, and 
courtiers, that the common people had not a sufficiency of 
food; this led to their destruction. 

Miss More by her village chips and other writings, gain- 



Preface. vii 

ed $150,000. This amount was left to build a church as 
a monument. If Miss More had not been a Christian, she 
would have left this money at interest, it would have given 
$9,000 ; this sum would have kept in idleness 960 persons^ 
or 120 families on potatoes. This interest at the time of 
this lady's death, [1833] would keep in idleness thirty me- 
chanics' famihes in comfort and happiness. 

It is the duty of every one to resolve to work at useful, 
laborious toil. It is the duty of every one who labors thus 
to keep himself only. The misery of the world arises from 
one man's keeping another doing nothing, and whose claim 
for support is not founded on nature. That rich men should 
leave their famihes to be clothed and fed, by the industri- 
ous, by interest, life insurance or otherwise, is absurd, and 
a more enlightened age will sweep them away. 

The apology for intruding this book upon the laborers^ 
notice, is that the writer has had access to large, and costly 
libraries, and his reading has been of that nature, so that he 
may set his own class to reasoning correctly on political 
subjects. The facts in this book have been acquired when 
the day's labor was done, most of them during the last two 
years. This book has its hterary faults. The writer quit 
school at ten years of age. 

The writer can get no one to print this book. He has 
purchased type and sets them up. He is a cabinet-maker, 
not a printer ; and this will account for typographical faults. 

It is a pleasing thought this book can be printed without 
asking permission. Greater changes are to be made in 



viii Preface. 

men's condition. The thunders of the Vatican have tried 
to strike out of the hands of men^ the writings of WickHfF, 
Huss, and Luther. At Rome a body of Hterary despots 
make out a catalogue of books, that are forbidden to be read. 
In Spain a book goes through half a dozen courts before it 
is pubhshed. Queen Elizabeth punished an author for an 
offending book. King James compelled books to be exam- 
ined "and purged of offensive matter." Milton's Paradise 
Lost was altered, after a few years it was printed as written. 
Sir Mathew Hale did not want his books printed after his 
death, he was afraid the " Licensers of the Press " might 
change them. 

This book will show what others have suffered for to 
ameliorate the condition of those who toil. Sir Thomas 
More lost his head on the block ; his Utopia would offend 
many. Fenelon was banished from the French court. 
In prison Voltaire wrote his " Henriade " and " Toleration;'* 
Cobbett his " Paper against Gold ;" and Montgomery some 
of his poems. Brissot De Warville, after his visit to this 
country, with thirteen others suffered on the guillotine. By- 
ron only went three times to the House of Lords ; he told 
them they were robbers of the people. Bulwer says the 
writings of the social philosophers of last century are not 
generally known. If this collection of opinions and histor- 
ical facts shall teach the young, to think, and save them 
from unpaid toil ; the writer's labor has not been in vain. 

W. Dealtry. 

CiN. Union Block. 3rd St. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER 1. 

REFORMS ARE NECESSARY. 

aJcT UM an Society is Full of Misery — There is a Complete Remedy — The 
vXjX Hours of Toil can be Shortened — Opinions of Good Men I 

CHAPTER n. 

ANCIENT AND MODERN SLAVERY. 

fLAVERY in Greece and Rome — In Northern Africa — In America — 
Slavery is Necessary to Improve the Condition of Men — Slavery not' 
Neecessary when Nations are Improved 25 

CHAPTER HI. 

HISTORY OF THE LABORING CLASSES. 

fOCIETY after the Conquest— Traffic in Slaves— Influence of Christian- 
ity — Increase of Towns and Manufactures — Corporate Immunities — 
Absurd Legislation — Occupations and Wages of the People 49 

CHAPTER IV. 



GOVERNMENTS AND FEUDALISM. 

fATRIARCHAL Government — The Origin of Monarchies — Their 
^,. Corruptions and Changes — William the Norman — His advent into 

England — Feudalism — Its Origin and Necessity to Improve Men 73 



l^ 



Contents, 
CHAPTER V. 

PARLIAMENTS AND COMMONS. 
ARLIAMENTS a Result of Conquest — The disputes of Kings and 



^ Nobles a cause of Parliaments — Origin of the House of Commons- 

An Assembly of Men to save Themselves from being Plundered 97 



CHAPTER VI. 

CITIES AND TOWNS. 

FEUDALISM the Cause of the Growth of Cities— A Place for Es- 
l-i caping Slaves — Cities are necessary to Improve Mankind — Hanseatic 
Towns — North American Review on Cities — Suffering in Cities 121 



CHAPTER Vn. 

COMMERCE AND TRADE, 

iTt OMMERCE, its origin — Mankind needed Commerce to Improve 
Ajh their Condition— Its Evils and Remedy — Franklin's Opinions of 

Commerce^Rev. Sidney Smith's Opinions on Commerce , 145 



CHAPTER Vm. 

GOLD, SILVER, AND PAPER MONEY. 

' ONEY had its Origin in the Love of Ornament — A Means of keep- 
ing the People Poor— What Money costs Society — The Causes of 
Metal Money — The History of Paper Money 169 

CHAPTER IX. 

A CENTURY OF INVENTIONS. 

"ANT a Motive for Invention — Universal Riches will Prevent In- 
J; vention — Arkwright's Invention and Poverty — Watts' Improve- 
ment on the Steam Engine — Morse's Telegraph 193 



Contents. xi 

CHAPTER X. 

MERCHANTS AND LAWYERS. 

l|]V^ ERCHANTS are the Founders of Cities — A Cause of the Overthrow 
j^J^ of Slavery — Merchants are too Numerous — The Causes why Law- 
yers Exist — They are too numerous — An injury to .Society 217 



CHAPTER XI. 

PHYSICIANS AND MINISTERS. 

fOHN WESLEY'S Remedies for Sickness — Opinions of the Demo- 
cratic Review — Jefferson — Priessnitz — Bulwer — Havelock— Volney— 
The Early Christians — St. Chrysostom — Tertullian — The Moravians. 241 

CHAPTER XH. 

FARMERS AND MECHANICS. 

fHE Farmer's Burdens are too Heavy — It is his duty to make them 
Lighter — How to Educate his Children — To Fertilize the Soil — How 
the Mechanic may Shorten his Labor — How to Obtain a Home 265 

CHAPTER Xm. 

THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. 

V^ HE American Government has not Ameliorated the Condition of the 
i^ Working People — It Should be Changed — It Benefits the Rich, not 

the Poor — Opinions of Brissot de Warville — Marquis de Chastellux...289 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 

Vjr TS Causes, Cruelties, and Benefits — A Contest between Nobles and 
(J^ People — The Number of its Victims — The Edict of Nantes — The 

Profligacy of the Kings of France — Death of Louis the Fourteenth....3i3 



xii Contents. 

CHAPTER XV. 

STATESMEN AND POLITICAL ECONOMISTS. 



f^ 



KETCHES of Washington — Livingston — Morris — Hamilton — Sedg- 
wick — Ames — Wollcott — Burr — Adams — Jefferson — "Opinions of 
the Economists — Potter — More — Smith — Malthus — Say — Paiey 337 



CHAPTER XVI. 

SOCIAL AND MORAL INNOVATORS. 

/|\' PINIONS of Volney — Franklin — Fenelon — Carey— Fourier — Har» 
Jsf) riet Martineau — Joseph Kay — Dr. Price — Jacques Turgot — Fortes- 

que — William Godwin — John Wesley 361 

CHAPTER XVn. 

REASONS FOR REFORMS. 

jKr. PALEY on Society — A Presidential Candidate's Home — Cost of 
J^ Intemperance — The Fool's Pence — Theory of Governments — What 

we Pay for Being Governed — John Adams on the Constitutions.... 38 5 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

CONCLUSION. 

r/A7 WASHINGTON letter — The Pacific Railroad a Means of acquir- 
l\ ing Territory without War — How the King of Prussia obtained Rev- 
enue from a Canal — General Dearborn's Testimony on Merchants..409 

NOTE. 

AGE twenty-four, line nineteen, and page two-hundred and ninety, line 
y two, the writer quotes from memory. The proper books can not at this 
time be obtained. 



THE LABORER, 



CHAPTER I. 



REFORMS ARE NECESSARY. 

Human Society is Full of Misery—There is a Complete Remedy— The 
Hours of Toil can be Shortened— Opinions of Good Men. 

** The history of the past is to enlighten men.'*— Swift. 




HE minds of the good and benevolent are continu- 
ally pained by the sight of human sorrow, caused 
by want. This comes from man's ignorance ; 
from one man oppressing another, and blinding his reason. 
The Creator of the Universe has done his part well ; noth- 
ing is lacking to complete man's happiness. If a poor 
man spends his time sculpturing a stone, and Calls it Apollo 
or Diana, h.e will vv^ant bread. If the man parts with his 
statue, some one else suffers want. The peasant of Ire- 
land, for the use of the soil, which ought to be his own, is 
compelled to give three-fourths of his food to another. If 
the landlord gives this food to painters and sculptors, their 



2 The Laborer ; 

concentrated labor is at the expense of the peasant's com- 
forts. How abject and mean are the inhabitants of Bava- 
ria. Its ruler is guilty of the madness of impoverishing 
his subjects. He has built two large and costly temples, of 
the finest style of architecture. These temples are filled 
with paintings and statuary. The Bavarians are poor; if 
the labor on these temples, statues, and paintings had been 
put on the homes of the Bavarians, they would be happv. 
''The introduction of the fine arts into America may be re- 
garded as a national calamity."* 

Men work on luxuries, and want necessaries. Men work 
on stone carvings for a mansion front, and go to a home 
destitute of comfort, or even ornament. f Nature designed 
that men should work more for themselves and less for 
others. The poverty of many of the Americans arises from 
keeping many doing nothing. Their Legislators, in trying to 
put down evil, do a great deal of wrong \ while doing it they 
consume large quantites of labor. 

If the laborers lived in the palaces they build and adorn, 
it would be more rational. History is silent how those who 
built the Pyramids Hved ; their labor made them wretched: 
much of modern labor does the same. We need earnest- 
hearted men to turn labor into other channels. It is the 
duty of the good to do something for those who suffer. 
These cases call for a reform. 

The "Methodist Book Concern" has a book called 
''Aunt EiSe." Her husband was killed while making a fi.ne 
cornice ; the scaffold fell. Her nice home passed away. 
At No. 6 Court street she put out this sign : "Washing done 

"^Brissot De Warville's Travels in North America, in 1787. 

•j- The writer knows a good, temperate, marble cutter, who sleeps in an al- 
ley. Others work on tombstones worth forty thousand dollars, they have no 
homes. These men do themselves and society an injustice. It is a wrong. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 3 

here :" none came to give her work, and she was reduced 
to her last crust. After trying to beg she returned to her 
home — to die ! Her thoughts were that she would fill a pau- 
per's grave. She was thirty-six hours without food. Some 
benevolent ladies, at last, found her out, when ready to faint 
with hunger. 

Near Louisville two women lived in a hollow tree ; their 
bed was corn shucks, which they sold in the market ; they 
did washing. They were found by a hunter, who saw 
their tracks in the snow. The Cincinnati Commercial tells 
us of Stewart, the New York merchant, living in a man- 
sion worth $2,000,000, and of news boys sleeping in boxes 
and barrels. It also tells us of a steam plow, that plow- 
ed in England four hundred acres of land. Another para- 
graph, by way of contrast, tells us of a dozen persons found 
frozen in the streets of London ; besides those who were fro- 
zen in their dens. 

Monarchy and Republicanism are the same. They both 
divide into two classes ; one to create labor, the other to 
destroy ; into rich idlers and poor workers, one part possess- 
ing all, the other nothing. A life of toil and labor is bind- 
ing on us all ; from it there is no escape. If a man escapes 
toil, it is at the expense of some one else. When a man 
will not work, he does an injustice to those who will work. 
It is the duty of those who work to throw off this burden. 

There have in every age and clime of the world, appear- 
ed men who could see clearly into the social ills of life. 
The ancient philosophers, as soon as symbolical writing 
had passed away, and letters were used, then taught that 
agriculture and pastoral pursuits, were for the happiness of 
men. Among the greatest who have tried to banish po- 
verty, is Jesus. He would not allow his followers to possess 
riches. His command was sell all that thou hast, and give 



The Laborer; 
i, ,„ ,h= poor. Excessive riches are made by speculation. 
Man will buy a piece of ground, suitable for a home, for 
^oo'and sell it'forVo. Does not th.s seller do an m,u. 
Le to the buyer, If the seller ma es -7 -h^-^ 
he lives without laboring. He is guilty oi 
command, "Thou shalt not covet or desire other mens 
7oZ" Jesus saw that riches gave birth to idleness, and 
Sat hey mpoverished the industrious and increased their 
oU . Even'paul said "If any man will not work neither 
sh he eat." He was a true reformer, and a rule for u 
In For three centuries the early Christians despised 
riches and lived together doing good. 

St. Basil, who died A.D. 378, percemng that many 
Christians were in trouble from the wars, advised hem ^ 
unite in colleges. He taught them that the Scriptural 
o Trines led to the reformation of life, and -n ha som - 
thin, to practice. St. Basil had seen religious societies in 
ETypt He built a house large enough tor his friends, 
foTha're his retirement. The place had near it a^iver 
that rolled over a rock, and it was full of fisn, the woods 
contan d deer and wild goats. They were constantly 
employed at such labors, as gave them occupation wihout 
aZetl Those arts were preferred which combined cheap- 
ness and simphcity, not requiring costly --- ^' ^ J- 
isterina to vanity. Their pursuits were building, weaving, 
and shoe making. Others attended the flocks and soil 
Their house was'a school for orphans, whom they clothed 
and fed. Pious people have not always hved this natural 
life _a life of labor and self denial. 

The followers of John Huss became Moravians Tun- 
kers and Mennonists. Count Zinzendorf helped the Mo- 
ravians to lands, which they worked with i^ngenu.ty indus- 
y and economy. The Tankers and Mennonists were 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. c 

sects of Christians, who settled in Pennsylvania last cen- 
tury, having sprung from the Hussites; their principles 
were not to go to law, fight, or take interest for the loan 
of their money. They subsisted by attending lands, flour, 
oil, and paper mills, and other useful pursuits. 

John Wesley paid a visit to Hernhutt, and Count Zin- 
zendorf set him to work in his garden.* He did not like 
this, though he inculcated a Hfe of plainness to his follow- 
ers, and forbid ornaments in dress, houses, or equipages. 
His mind saw that luxury deprived some of the comforts of 
hfe. It may not appear very clear to some, as it does to 
Christians, how luxury is productive of evil ; take this ex- 
ample: three girls in England each worked sixteen weeks 
on a scarf, for Queen Victoria ; it was flowers worked on 
thin cloth with a needle. These girls ought to have been 
making flannels and stockings for themselves. There is 
no difficulty in proving, that those who do this work are 
poor. The pay of these girls was taken from others, by 
taxation. Nature designed that queens and ladies should 
make their own scarfs. 

Archbishop Fenelon, in his Telemachus, plainly shews 
the causes of human misery, and the virtues of useful in- 
dustry. Sir Thomas More, in his Utopia, where he de- 
scribes the happy islanders, gives us plain, good advice, and 
how useful labors make men happy. The satires of these 
men on human society are very keen. 

Lord Bolingbroke, in the time of Queen Anne, said, if 
every man would work one year, it would maintain him 
twenty years. Franklin tells us " If every one would labor 
four hours a day, at something useful, poverty and want 
would be unknown." Robert Owen spun the first bale of 

* Chambers' Miscellany— The Moravians. 



6 The Laborer; 

Sea Island cotton that was sent to England, into thread 
of very fine, even^ and smooth texture. His earnings at 
nineteen were three thousand dollars a year. At twenty 
seven he purchased a factory worth $400,000. He saw a 
boy of sixteen years in chains, to be sent to a penal colony 
for his faults. This scene led Owen to reflect that, if 
other circumstances had been thrown around this boy, he 
would have been a better member of society. It led him 
to devote his wealth to improve his fellow-men. His 
workmen rented his cottages at the lowest price. He got 
for them the necessaries of life at first cost ; and distributed 
them for the same. He introduced infant schools among 
the working people. 

Robert Dale Owen says, in his writings: "My father 
had access to documents that others had not. His exten- 
sive experience as a manufacturer convinced him that Eng- 
land's labor-saving machinery, was equal to 400,000,000 
of working men. Nineteen-twentieths of this power has 
been created in the last century. In the making of cotton 
goods, 3,000,000 of persons do the labor of 36,000,000. 
The labor-saving machinery of Great Britain, is the same 
as if every workman had forty slaves working for him, from 
morn to night without food or clothing. One-fortieth part 
of the present wealth of England, formerly aiforded her pop- 
ulation subsistence and comfort. A great number of these 
laborers, have not at this moment sufficient to subsist on in 
comfort. Great Britain has learned to produce wealth, 
and she does produce it most abundantly ; but she has not 
learned to distribute it, to help her present distress. Now 
it is self-evident that if every person produced for himself 
every article of wealth that he required, no possible injus- 
tice could happen in its distribution; for each producer 
would retain and consume his own produce. It is also 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 7 

evident that if such a state of things could exist, labor-sav- 
ing machinery must necessarily increase man's comforts, 
or diminish the hours of labor; for instance, if a man's pow- 
ers of production increased forty-fold, and he was still con- 
tent with the same quantity of wealth that satisfied his wants 
before the increase, he would only have to labor eighteen 
minutes a day instead of twelve hours, or he ought to have 
forty times as much wealth. '^ 

Lord Brougham has, in his writings on the nature of la- 
bor-saving machinery, declared : " That after the most 
careful investigation of the subject in England, with its 
present advantages in labor-saving machinery, but twenty 
minutes daily toil, by each individual would be required to 
furnish all with abundance. " 

Richard Cobden, in his political writings, says: "The 
effects of labor-saving machinery must ultimately reduce the 
hours of labor, as it already has mitigated its severity. 
The work of day will be crowded into a smaller space, so 
soon as our good people can learn that gold is not the 
highest good, and that man is something better than a beast 
of burden. We shall throw off the shackles which now 
make our callings our masters, and which reduce our hfe 
to one long unmitigated bondage to work. There is abun- 
dant evidence of approaching emancipation to the tillers of 
the soil, the artisan and operative." 

If human labor is so productive, why are the feelings of 
good men pained, "with every day's report, of wrongs and 
outrages." These have appeared. "William Feidler, who 
killed himself in St. Louis, on account of poverty, and lack 
of employment, was the son of a wealthy merchant in 
Leipsic, Saxony."* "Last December, a mother and two 

■^Cincinnati Com. of Jan. 9th, 1868. 



g The Laborer; 

children perished with severe cold."* The same night in 
Brooklyn, John Durant died with cold and hunger On 
the first of Jan. 1866, a man died with hunger m Chicago, 
where there is food enough to support a provmce, and men 
often get smothered in wheat. Many will say intemper- 
ance causes much of this; it is not the cause of all the 
misery, which may be inferred from these two cases. A 
girl, of the name of Cooley, came to Covington from the 
country to work; and failed to get it. She was soon with- 
out money to get a night's lodging. After wandering abou 
in a state of mind bordering on to distraction, the poor girl 
went on the Main Street ferry boat, and asked if the water 
was deep enough to drown. Upon being answered that it 
was, and before any one was aware, she jumped over board. 
The swift current swept her down the stream, bhe was 
saved and cared for.f Mary Wheeler was found sleeping 
out of doors. She was a woman of about fifty years, poor- 
ly clothed, but respectable in appearance, with a counten- 
ance indicative of honesty, and pinched with want. She 
said she had no home, no place to sleep, nothing to eat. 
She was alone in the world and friendless. A paralytic 
stroke had deprived her of the use of her right arm. The 
husband of this woman, twenty-five years ago, was one ot 
the wealthiest in Chicago. He was a sober and industrious 
builder, and the father of an interesting family, and the 
owner of ten acres of land, on the north side of Kenzie 

Street. , • j • 

The husband was drowned, the widow married again. 
In a few years she was deserted and robbed of her posses- 
sions. Her family died, except a daughter, who married 
unfortunately, and cannot give her mother a home. 1 he 

^Clncmnati Times, Dec. ,865. t Cincmnati.Times of July, 1866. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 9 

poor, friendless, homeless and heart-broken woman is left to 
depend on public charity. — Times. '^ 

At the present time [winter of 1868] 50,000 mechanics 
are out of employment in the city of New York. If these 
persons go to work at toy-making, street-cleaning, and sew- 
er-building their wants are reheved at some others' ex- 
pense. Franklin says : " If the wom^en will go behind the 
counter, and the men go to the workshop and the plow, 
the hardness of the times will cease." 

Sir Morton Peto, in his Resources of America, says: 
" The annual value of the products of the farmers and me- 
chanics are $2,000,000,000. And when the great Pacific 
Railroad is completed, the amount of gold added to the 
country will be yearly $150,000,000." If this amount is 
divided into the products of labor the product will be thir- 
teen. These gold seekers destroy a thirteenth of the hats, 
shoes, clothes, and houses that are created. The man who 
earns a $1,000 in a year contributes $75 to the support of 
the gold seekers. The meaning of this language is this, the 
labor that is spent seeking for gold, would, in ten years' give 
every ten persons a home worth $500. We should think 
it a great hardship if a conqueror was to come and carry 
away annually one-thirteenth of our labor. The gold find- 
ers do this. We can not see the injury they do us. 

If the laborer would relieve himself of care and anxiety, 
he must believe and act in a different manner from what 
he does. Human society may be likened to a column, the 
base is the farmers and mechanics, who have resting on 
them lawyers, doctors^ soldiers, custom-house officers, 
merchants, bankers, landlords, and those who govern us. 
These get two-thirds of the laborer's toil. Many of these 
can be dispensed with. These classes have arisen through 
the corruptions of ages, and were necessary to eat up the 



10 The Laborer; 

subsistence of the people — to make them poor. This pov- 
erty quickens the inventions of men. It is necessary. It 
was poverty that made Watt improve the steam-engine 
and Arkwright invent spinning machinery. Mankind, some 
time or other, will have a sufficiency of machinery and 
these unproductive classes will be swept away. 

Says Bishop Clark : ^' In how many homes does poverty, 
care-consuming, pinching poverty — make its permanent 
abode ! Daily toil scarcely suffices to provide for daily 
wants. The humblest and coarsest fare is all that is craved, 
and t*hat, alas ! is often craved in vain. How often does the 
very image of poverty, thinly clad, shivering in the winter's 
cold, with hasty step and averted eye, ghde past us upon all 
our streets! Go to the desolate, cheerless home of want; 
mark its nakedness of all that is essential to hom.e comfort ; 
think how hard these parents toil, and how little they earn ; 
how much these children need, and how little they have. 
And as you stand there, amid that scene of poverty and 
want, as you feel the pressure of their necessities, and your 
heart yearns towards them, ask thyself who hath made us 
to differ." 

How painful is this description of sorrow. Many of 
these were once in affluence; childhood to them was full of 
toys, sunshine and flowers ; they entered the learned profes- 
sions and became briefless lawyers, doctors without patients, 
and ministers with thread-bare coats. Many of these did 
not think with Douglas Jerrold, that "The dignity of 
human life consisted in knowing how to handle a spade, 
and if we cultivate mother earth it will never cheat us, and 
we need not tell thumping hes, as they do on 'Change." 

A young man in Indiana, said : He had cultivated six- 
ty acres of corn, with machinery, and that he had 2,700 bu- 
shels of corn. One bushel of corn fattens twelve pounds 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. ii 

of pork. This farmer raised also 500 bushels of wheat. 
This quantity lasts eighty years, allowing soldiers'rations. 
One bushel of wheat makes fifty pounds of flour. A pound 
of flour is a soldier's daily ration, with three-fourths of a 
pound of pork. The farmer had six barrels of molasses. 
This is the calculation: 

60 acresX4.S bu.==2j700 bu. of corn. 

2,700 bu.Xi2, lbs. =32, 400 lbs. of pork. 

500 bu. of wheatXSO lbs.^=:25,ooo lbs. of flour. 

32,400 lbs,-^273 lbs. =119 years, time to consume the pork. 

25,000 lbs. of flour-i-365 days:=:6o years, time to consume the floUT. 

ii9-f-6o-=-2=89 years, the average time to consume this food. 

This is a paper demonstration and not very easily proved. 
This one is : A city laborer earns $500 in a year, working 
ten hours a day; he spends out of this sum $100 for tobac- 
co, drinks and trifles ; and $100 for house rent. By cutting 
off the trifles, in five years, this laborer will have saved suf- 
ficient for a country home, with a large garden. This la- 
borer can now live with six hours labor in a day. Much 
of the laborer's earnings go to the market for vegetables, 
bacon, butter, eggs, and fruit. A country home cuts off 
all this expense. This fife will reduce the hours of toil to 
four. In the days of Franklin there was a large commons, 
for the use of all ; where cattle and hogs could graze. De 
Warville tells us in 1787 : "The people on the banks of the 
Ohio did not labor more than two hours in a day." The 
people were not divided into hair-dressers, boot-blacks, ci- 
gar-makers, and milliners. There were no merchants to 
take away the food, and bring bacJc silks and satins, silver 
and gold. The clothing of this period was home-spun and 
durable^ not shoddy, which is old, filthy, woollen rags, 
ground into dust, one-third of which is mixed with long 
wool. This cloth is soon worn out. 



i 12 The Laborer; 

• There is nothing that makes the laborer so sick at heart, 
■ as being repulsed when begging work; and living in fear of 

being turned away for one who can w^ork faster. There 
is misery among the higher classes. Many a father has 

• spent his money^ to put his son among the learned, or trad- 
ing classes and failed. It often happens that he who was 
raised in affluence, descends to the lowest walks of human 
life ; to be the drudge of others ; to spend a life in wretch- 
edness, penury, and want. There is a remedy. 

Men are misled by writers on Political Science. This 
is an extract from M. Say, a Frenchman, whose book 
was used in American colleges for many years : " What 
is necessary subsistence, depends, therefore, partly on the 
habits of the nation, to which the laborer belongs. In pro- 
portion to the value he consumes his wages may be small, 
and the product of his labor cheap. If his condition be 
improved, and his wages raised, either his product becomes 
dearer to the consumer, or the share of his fellow-produc- 
ers is diminished. The disadvantages of their position are 
an effectual barrier against any great extension of the con- 
sumption of the laboring classes. Humanity^ indeed^ would 
rejoice to see them and their families dressed in warm clothing 
suitable to the climate and season ; with houses roomy ^ warm^ 
airy^ in healthy situations^ and fed with wholesome and plenti- 
ful diet^ with an occasional delicacy . But there are few 
countries where wants, apparently so moderate, are not consi- 
dered beyond the limits of strict necessity, and therefore 
not to be gratified by the customary wages of the working 
classes." 

The books of Wayland and Say have been the text 
books of the American Colleges for nearly half a century, 
and they have never given the laborer a champion. These 
books have not prevented want which is constantly growing 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 13 

in our large cities. Political Economists do not favor the 
humble classes -, Mills and Carey are exceptions. From 
their teachings, and the practices of governments, come 
many of the inequalities of Hfe. Their teachings are of 
the same nature as Dame Lobkins' advice to Paul Clifford, 
a stealer in one of Bulwer's novels ; w^hich reads thus : 

'' Mind thy kittychism, child, and reverence old age. 
Never steal, ^specially w^hen any body be in the w^ay. 
Never go snacks vi^ith them as be older than you, — 'cause 
why ? The older a cove be, the more he cares for hisself, 
and less for his partner. Read your Bible, and talk like a 
pious 'un. People goes more by your w^ords, than your 
actions. If you wants what is not your own, try and do 
without it ; and, if you can^t do without it, take it by in- 
sinivation, not bluster. ^Cause they as only swindles, does 
more and risks less than those who rob outright . Now go 
and play \ but here, take some money in your pocket, and 
don't play for nothing ; it's loss of time ; but mind, always 
play with them as be less than yourself, and then, if they 
says you go for to cheat, you go for to beat 'em." 

In the city of New York, there is one person worth 
$60,000,000. A laborer would have to toil 120,000 years 
to get this amount, at the rate of $500 a year. A person to 
count this at the rate of $20,000 a day will be six years 
doing it. The annual income of this person is $6,000,000. 
A sum equal to the average yearly earnings of 10,000 me- 
chanics. This yearly income will purchase 5,000,000 of 
acres of wild lands. This will make a province eighty 
miles square ; and capable of supporting 1,500,000 persons, 
whose offspring can support twenty families in splendor 
for ages to come. For this man of wealth, seas must be 
crossed, dangers endured ; the whole world must be ran- 
sacked, for costly food and clothing. Dozens of cringing 



14 The Laborer; 

idle servants wait to do his bidding, and spend more time to 
prepare and ornament his food, than it does the farmer to 
create it. Often this man of money has no appetite, his 
food, which ought to nourish useful laborers, is often wast- 
ed. From his mansion comes the sounds of revelry and 
mirth, which mingles with the plaintive cry of the news- 
boy, whose voice may be heard sixteen hours in a day, his 
appetite is sharp, and he has often no food ; then his gnaw- 
ing stomach — tells him to steal ! This needs reform. 

In the city of New York lOO persons possess $200,000, 
000 ; this would give to every five persons in that city a 
home worth $1,000. Three-fourths of its people have no 
homes. Such a state of things makes these scenes. This 
is told by Solon Robinson, how a widow and four children 
lived on a dime a day. She got two cents' worth of coke, 
three cents' worth of salt pork, four cents' worth of white 
beans, and one cent's worth of corn-meal. This was boil- 
ed two hours ; the soup was divided into three parts for the 
day. The next day's food was four cents' worth of oat- 
meal, one cents' worth of potatoes, and same amount of 
pork. The next day's food was five cents' worth of beef, 
with meal and potatoes. This woman could only make 
two pair of drawers in a day, at five cents a pair. She 
could not beg. This is taken from '^Economy of Food." 

Says Wm. Godwin : "There is no real wealth but the la- 
bor of man. Were the mountains of gold and the valleys 
of silver, the world would not be one grain of corn the 
richer; not one comfort would be added to the human race. 
In consequence of our consideration for the precious me- 
tals, one man is enabled to heap to himself luxuries at the 
expense of the necessaries of his neighborhood ; a system 
admirably fitted to produce all the varieties of disease and 
crime, which never fail to characterize the two extremes oi 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 15 

opulence and penury. A speculator takes pride to himself 
as the promoter of his country's prosperity, who employs 
a number of hands in the manufacture of articles avowedly 
destitute of use, or subservient only to the unhallowed 
cravings of luxury and ostentation. The nobleman who 
employs the peasants of his neighborhood in building his 
palaces, flatters himself that he has gained the title of a pa- 
triot by yielding to the impulses of vanity. The show and 
pomp of courts adduces the same apology for its continu- 
ance; and many a fete has been given, many a woman has 
eclipsed her beauty by her dress, to benefit the laboring 
poor and to encourage trade. Who does not see that this 
is a remedy which aggravates, whilst it palliates, the count- 
less diseases of society ? The poor are set to labor, — for 
what ? Not the food for which they famish ; not the blan- 
kets for want of which their babes are frozen by the cold 
of their miserable hovels ; not those comforts of civilization 
without which civilized man is far more miserable than the 
meanest savage ; oppressed as he is by all its insidious evils, 
within the daily and taunting prospect of its innumerable 
benefits assiduously exhibited before him : no ; for the pride 
of power, for the miserable isolation of pride, for the false 
pleasures of the hundredth part of society. No greater 
evidence is afforded of the wide extended and radical mis- 
takes of civilized man than this fact; those arts which are 
essential to his very being are held in the greatest contempt ; 
employments are lucrative in an inverse ratio to their use- 
fulness: the jeweler, the toyman, the actor gains fame and 
wealth by the exericse of his useless and ridiculous art ; 
whilst the cultivator of the earth, he without whom society 
must cease to exist^ struggles through contempt and penury, 
and perishes by that famine which, but for his unceasing 
exertions, would annihilate the rest of mankind. 



i6 The Laborer 

"1 will not insult common sense by insisting on the doc- 
trine of the natural equality of man. The question is not 
concerning its desirableness, but its practicability ; so far 
as it is practicable, it is desirable. That state of human 
society which approaches nearer to an equal partition of its 
benefits should be preferred ; but so long as we conceive 
that a wanton expenditure of human labor, not for necessi- 
ties, not even for the luxuries of the mass of society, but 
for the egotism and ostentation of a few of its members, 
is defensible, on the ground of public justice, so long we 
neglect to approximate to the redemption of the human 
race. 

''Labor is required for physical, and leisure for moral im- 
provement : from the former of these advantages the rich, 
and from the latter the poor, by the inevitable conditions 
of their respective situations, are precluded. A state which 
should combine the advantages of both, would be subject- 
ed to the evils of neither. He that is deficient in firm 
health, or vigorous intellect is but half a man; hence it fol- 
lows^ that, to subject the laboring classes to unnecessary 
labor, is wantonly depriving them of any opportunities of 
intellectual improvement ; and that the rich are heaping up 
for their own mischief the disease, lassitude, and ennui^ by 
which their existence is rendered an intolerable burden. 

''Wealth is a power usurped by the few, to compel the 
many to labor fjor their benefit. The laws which support 
this system derive their force from the ignorance of its 
victims : they are the result of a conspiracy of the few 
against the many, who are obliged to purchase this pre-emi- 
nence by the loss of all real comfort. 

"The commodities that substantially contribute to the 
subsistence of the human species form a very short cata- 
logue ; they demand from us a very slender portion of our Indus- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 17 

try. If these only were produced, and sufficiently produced, 
the species of man would be continued. If the labor nec- 
essarily required to produce them were equitably divided 
among the poor, and, still more, if it were equitably divided 
among all, each man's share of labor would be light, and 
his portion of leisure would be ample. There was a time 
when this leisure would have been of small comparative 
value, and it is to be hoped the time will come, when it will 
be applied to the most important purposes. Those hours 
which are not required for the production of the necessa- 
ries of life, may be devoted to the cultivation of the under- 
standing, the enlarging of our knowledge. * * ^ * * 
It was, perhaps, necessary that a period of monopoly and 
oppression should subsist, before a period of cultivated 
equality could exist. Savages perhaps would never have 
been excited to the discovery of truth and the invention of 
art, but by the narrow motives which such a period affords. 
But, surely, after the savage state has ceased, and men 
have set out in the glorious career of discovery and inven- 
tion, monopoly and oppression can not be necessary to pre- 
vent them from returning to a state of barbarism." — God- 
win's Enquirer^ Essay IL PoL yus.^ book Yin ^ chap, li. 

It is a calculation of this admirable author, that all the 
conveniences of civilized life might be produced if society 
would divide the labor equally among its members, by each 
individual being employed in labor two hours during the 
day. 

Gov. Hammond, of South Carolina, in the House of 
Representatives, in 1858, says : "In all social systems there 
must be a class to do the mean duties, to perform the drudg- 
ery of life — a class requiring but a low order of intellect 
and but little skill. Such a class you must have, or you 
would not have that other class which leads to progress, 



i8 The Laborer; 

refinement, and civilization. It constitutes the very mud- 
sills of society. The man who lives by daily labor, and 
scarcely lives at that, and who has to put his labor in the 
market, and take the best he can get for it — in short, your 
whole class of manual laborers and operatives, as you call 
them, are slaves. They are hired by the day, not cared for, 
and scantily compensated; which may be proved, in the 
most deplorable manner, at any hour, in any street in any 
of your large towns. Your slaves are white, of your own 
race — you are brothers of one blood ; they are equals in 
natural endowment, and they feel galled by their degrada- 
tion ; your slaves vote, and, being in the majority, are the 
depositories of all your political power. If they knew the 
tremendous secret that the ballot-box is stronger than an 
army with bayonets, and could combine — where would you 
be ? Your society and government would be reconstructed 
by the quiet process of the ballot-box. How would you 
like us to send lecturers or agitators North to teach the 
people this, to aid and assist in combining and leading 
them?" 

When this language was known among the monarchs of 
Europe what feelings they must have had. The great Re- 
public had existed three-fourths of a century and no free- 
dom for its laborers. Can this be true ? The New York 
Tribune gives us this : " Last week a single soup-house 
gave out a ton of meal, 2,000 loaves of bread, 1,400 pints 
of soup; supplying daily 2,500 persons. Twenty cellars 
are near, where, for a penny a head, all colors lie down pro- 
miscuously, in bunks at night. Two pennies will get some 
straw. When morning breaks, though it be cold,and snow 
is on the pavement^ they are driven out sick and shiver- 
ing, hungry and unrefreshed, into the dreary streets to obtain, 
by beggary and theft subsistence for the day. ^' 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 19 

Intemperance has much to do with this^ it can be Lettered. 
Men are not wicked before they are born. Make society- 
better and this vice will cease. Drunkenness is often caused 
by sorrow. Bulwer puts this language into the mouth of 
the sorrow stricken woman, "Drink! drink! drink! there's 
nothing hke drink for the poor, for then we fancy oursels 
what we wish." Her husband was the giant of his tribe, a 
soldier once, he died with hunger " from frequent famines 
that are the scourge of Ireland. " It is this scene that 
makes Bulwer exclaim: "When will those hideous dispari- 
ties be banished from the world ? How many noble na- 
tures — how many glorious hopes — how much of the ser- 
aph's intellect, have been crushed into the mire, and blasted 
into guilt by the mere force of physical want I What are 
the temptations of the rich to those of the poor? Yet 
how lenient we are to the crimes of the one — how relent- 
less to those of the other I It is a bad world ; it makes a 
man's heart sick to look around him. The consciousness 
of how little genius can do to relieve the mass, grinds out 
as with a stone, all that is generous in ambition ; and to as- 
pire above the level of life is to be more graspingly selfish ? " 
" Can legislators, or the moralists that instruct legislators, 
do so little toward universal good ?" said Lester, doubtingly. 
"Why, what can they do but forward civilization? 
And what is civilization but an increase of human dispar- 
ities ? The more the luxury of the few, the more startling 
the wants and the more galling the sense of poverty. Even 
the dreams of the philanthropist only tend toward equality; 
and where is equality to be found but in the state of the sav- 
age ? No; I thought otherwise once; but I now regard 
the vast Lazar-house around us without any hope of relief: 
Death is the sole physician ! " 

The remedy for this is universal labor. Intemperance is 



20 The Laborer ; 

caused much of it by extremes of wealth and poverty. The 
sons of the rich, by having no occupation, learn vice. The 
poor in cities with their small, cheerless homes, with no at- 
tainments in learning, are many of them ensnared in the de- 
corated saloons. A remedy for intemperance is rural life. 
Land-speculators put a check on this. This class are the 
bane of society ; they, with whisky makers and sellers, poi- 
son human society. Many a family has been pushed among 
the Indians, and fallen a sacrifice to those human parasites. 
These make many parts of this land neither savage nor 
civilized — a wilderness. A concentrated people have better 
roads, school-houses, and churches. Why should a labor- 
er give $400 for forty acres of wild land, that only cost 
fifty; and has no labor on it. Land speculators have no 
moral right to lands they can not cultivate ; they have no 
benevolence, or moral feelings ! Why should laborers go 
without comforts that others may have luxuries ? If lands 
held for speculation were ordered to be cultivated, popula- 
tion would increase to pay a nation's debts. National lands: 

Improved lands 163,210,720 acres. 

Unimproved lands inclosed 244,101,808 ** 

Uncultivated territory 1,466,969,862 " 

25,500 farms exceed 500 " 

One-iifth of the farms only exceed 100 " 

The quantity of improved land for each inhabitant is 
fifty acres, and also 600 acres of wild land. Eighty years 
must pass away before this will come into cultivation. It 
would be a great benefit to this country if wild lands were 
not sold to any one. The Cin. Gazette, of Jan. 28th, 1868, 
says : " Somebody has introduced a bill, to grant a million 
of acres, to the District of Columbia, for educational pur- 
poses. No one thinks the public lands of any use but to 
squander. This has been transferred into the hands of 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 2I 

speculators, to the injury of settlers, until it will fetch, per- 
haps, twenty times the cost. This is the most costly way 
Congress can devise for school purposes. The system, of 
granting public lands to corporations^ is the worst system of 
internal improvements that was ever invented.'^ This 
same paper tells us Congress has given to railroads lands 
to the amount of 305,000,000 of acres. Words can not tell 
how wicked is this gift, to the present and to future gen- 
erations. 

Capital has been defined an accumulation of labor. A 
laborer wants a house, he creates food and clothes to con- 
sume while building it. This builder says to another^ if you 
will help me, I will give you half of the food and clothes. 
The builder has a right to his home, he paid for it with toil. 
Those who fed and clothed the workmen, of the Illinois 
Central Railroad, ought to possess it. It is said the Roths- 
childs have built this road, at a cost of $20,000,000. Did 
these men and their partners make clothes and food with 
their own hands ? No, they have got others to do it. The 
printing of $20,000,000 costs $40,000,. this is all the cost 
put forth to get this road. It takes 34,000 laborers one 
year to build the road. It will take a printer two years to 
print this amount. This company had from government 
3,500,000 acres of land. What has been sold has brought 
nearly $30,000,000. The State authorities could have is- 
sued $20,000,000, and would have had yearly $2^000,000 
for school purposes. These lands, towns, and road will 
in twenty years give an annual income of $10,000,000; 
when this amount is squandered, its recipients will smile at 
the simplicity of the common people. This company has 
seventy towns that give revenues from lots. 

We are often told that wars with England have been the 
means of introducing manufactures among us, to our ad- 



22 The Laborer; 

vantage. The $30,000,000, that has been spent in 111 nois 
for railroads, would have put linen and v^oolen factories 
all over the State. A people who send their wool 1,000 
miles to be spun, wear costly clothing. Greeley says " Why 
should 500 men be the carriers between 500 farmers and 
500 mechanics." A plea is made that giving away lands to 
railroads promotes public good ; it is not so. Franklin, in 
1739, printed paper money for the authorities of the colony 
of Pennsylvania. By means of five loan commissioners this 
colony paid nearly all the public expenses. This money 
lasted till 1774; it was always good, and uniform in amount. 
The colony of South Carolina loaned paper money on silver 
plate and lands in 1750. The interest was used for fighting 
Indians. Franklin^s money was loaned on lands. This 
money rendered bankers, carriers, and railroad builders not 
necessary; these eat up food, and have the most luxuries. 

What the colonies did with paper money, could have 
been done in Illinois; had the State printed the money, 
hired the laborers, the people would have a circulating me- 
dium and a revenue. This tells how happy were the colo- 
nies : " The economy which is so particularly attended to 
in Pennsylvania does not prevent both sexes from being 
well clothed ; there is a constant plenty, and a universal ap- 
pearance of easy circumstances. The pleasing view of this 
abundance is never disturbed by the melancholy appearance 
of poverty. There are no poor In all Pennsylvania, A trav- 
eler is welcome to stop in any place, without uneasy sensa- ■ 
tions, except regret at departure."* The giving away of the 
wild lands should be to those who will cultivate them. 

Toussaint Breda, a slave, in the island of St. Domingo, in 
the latter part of last century, was taught to read by a slave 
who had learned of the Jesuits. Toussaint got from his 

*Abbe Raynal's E. and W. Indies, vol. 6th, page 17. Strahan, London, 17 98 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 23 

overseer the writings of Abbe Raynal, he read these words: 
" What shall be done to overthrow slavery. Self-interest 
alone governs nations and kings. We must look elsewhere. 
These are so many indications of the impending storm, and 
the negroes only want a courageous chief to lead them on 
to vengeance and slaughter. 

"Where is the great man whom nature owes to her vexed, 
oppressed, and tormented children? Where is he? He 
will undoubtedly appear, he will show himself, he will lift 
up the sacred standard of liberty. This venerable signal 
will collect around him the companions of his misfortunes. 
They will rush on with more impetuosity than torrents ; 
they will leave behind them traces of their resentment. " 

In 1787, the island contained 30^000 whites, 20,000 free 
mulattoes, the children of planters, and 500,000 slaves. 
The Assembly of the French, at the beginning of the Rev- 
olution proclaimed, that slavery should cease. The free 
blacks sent deputies to the Assembly, with $1,000,000 and 
offered to mortgage a fifth of their property for the debts of 
France^ for the privilege of being equal with the whites in 
law. This led to fighting between the two classes. The 
English invaded the island under Gen. Maitland. Tous- 
saint and his fellow slaves drove them out of the island. 
Slavery was ended through the teachings of a slave, who 
had been taught to read ; he remembered the teachings of 
the good Abbe Raynal. Will some one deHver us. 

We have misery around us which may be seen. "A la- 
borer has to put forth incessant toil to keep his head above 
the rising waters of indigence ; at the first trifling accident 
these close around and overwhelm him. For the thousand 
casualties of life there is not the scantiest provision. The 
indisposition of a day curtails the amount of food that is dealt 
out the next day. A week's sickness threatens with starva 



24 The Laborer; 

tion his wife and little ones.'"^ Stran2:e confession is this. 

Relief will come, it is to be inferred from this : "Doubtless, 
there are great statesmen; wizards in bullion and bank- 
paper; thinkers profound in cotton^ and every turn and va- 
riation of the markets abroad and at home. But there are 
statesmen yet to come ; statesmen of nobler aims — of more heroic 
action \ teachers of the people ; vindicators of the universal 
dignity of man; apostles of the great social truth that knowl- 
edge, which is the spiritual light of God, like his material 
light was made to bless and comfort all men. And when 
these men arise — and it is worse than weak, it is sinful, to 
despair of them — the youngling poor will not be bound upon 
the very threshold of human hfe, and made, by want and 
ignorance, life's shame and curse. There is not a babe ly- 
ing in the public street on its mother^s lap — the unconscious 
mendicant to ripen into the criminal — that is not a reproach 
to the state ; a scandal and a crying shame upon men who 
study all pohtics, save the politics of the human heart." f 

The reader can learn from " The Rights of Man," some 
of the causes of human woe : "There is a family of five per- 
sons, the farmer becomes king, the family have no food ; the 
weaver becomes a gold seeker, the family have no clothes ; 
the hatter becomes a custom-house officer, the family have 
no hats ; the shoemaker becomes a banker, the family have 
no shoes. Society is a large family, and they must be useful." 

•^Speech before Cin. Mercantile Library, 1848, by R. D. Owen, f D. Jerrold. 





CHAPTER II. 

ANCIENT AND MODERN SLAVERY. 

Slavery in Greece and Rome — In Northern Africa — In America- 
Slavery Necessary to Improve the Condition of Men — Slavery 
not Necessary when Nations are Improved. 

"Mankind is always consuming men for luxury and civilization.'* Countess Ida. 

ilSTORY is a long record of wars and slavery. 
How painful is the contemplation of slavery ! the 
separation of its victims from friends and home, to 
spend a life in unmitigated toil ; without reward, kindness, 
or sympathy ; to be treated in life and death like brutes. 
We might inquire, why does the Father of us all permit a 
part of his helpless creatures to be thus tormented ? None 
to defend or vindicate them ! We can not answer. 

When man was first placed on this earth, it was in a 
part where the climate was warm ; where the fruits were 
perpetual, and only needed gathering. In a country like 
this invention would not be very rapid, or have no exist- 
ence. As men increased they would have to migrate to 
climates that changed, from heat to cold ; where the fruits 
perished, and only prevailed a part of the year. This 
would quicken invention, and improve the intellect. Trees 
or caves would not do for habitations. Clothing has to be 
comfortable, the houses durable. The people of the new 
colony are superior to those they left. The flesh of ani- 
mals would be used as food. This would call for instru- 

(25) 



26 The Laborer ; 

ments to bring down the game, and which can be used 
for the destruction of men. When this colony increased 
migration again took place, either to ruder climes or back 
to the starting point. If these were not received kindly 
force can be used with effect. This invaded people fall an 
easy prey to the ferocious hunters. Failure of crops pro- 
duces a war. Hunger makes men savage and fearless, and 
they go where there is food. From war comes the sparing 
of the lives of prisoners, on condition of becoming slaves. 

It was no doubt hunger that compelled the Northmen to 
conquer Normandy and Britain. England was barbarous 
before the advent of the Romans. The various conquests 
she has undergone has given refinement, learning, and 
abundance to a few ; which sometime or other will belong 
to the many. 

These painful facts will throw some light on the motives 
for conquest : '^ The failure of crops for seven successive 
years in Swedish Nordland, has brought some 300,000 
■persons to starvation, and many of them to death, and now 
their miserable bread, made of bark and straw, has given 
out. They sit in their cheerless huts and die."* 

This suffering described here is calculated to make men 
ingenious and frugal. " Indeed it is a fortunate thing that 
the people are not more numerous, for bad harvests are 
very frequent in this rude climate ; it is impossible to pro- 
vide against occasional scarcity of food, and one would not 
wish there should be a greater number of poor to suffer from 
it. A large population is commonly considered a sign of 
prosperity, but it is only where they are certain of having 
bread to eat. The earth will not complain, if she is left un- 
cultivated, but man will complain bitterly if he must suffer 
the cravings of hunger. When population once begins to 

*W. W. Thomas representative to Sweden.— Cin, Com. of Mar. 6th, 1868. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 27 

advance, it increases rapidly, in a ratio far exceeding that in 
which the earth's fertihty can be increased, so that in a very 
short time all equahty ceases between the demand and sup- 
ply. Then want begins and advances with the increasing 
population, offering this strange problem : ' The less bread 
the more children.' * As for the poor old earth, I hope she 
is quite insensible to a great deal that passes upon her, or 
her emotions must be of a most painful kind. Oh God! 
her hardest rocks might be softened by the torrents of tears, 
blood, and sweat, which have poured on her in an increased 
shower. No, no ! the earth is hard and firm, and sympa- 
thizes neither with our sorrow or our joys. Mankind is al- 
ways consuming men for its own luxury and civilization, 
sometimes by war, maufactures, hunger, sorrow, and care. 
Why should we give it any more to consume ? When a 
man is born we would wish him to have a little happiness. 
Yet it is upon the classes that are the most numerous — the 
hard-working, industrious classes, that misery is sure to fall. 
It is in a strange world we live in. God mend it ! But it 
seems to me so much warped on one side, that it will by 
and by turn itself quite over on the other." f 

The spirit of conquest is not ended. The occupation of 
India will in time fill it with steam engines, and clear its 
jungles of tigers. Many parts of Algiers abound with lions y 
that take a fourth of the cattle. The French will destroy 
these, as they have conquered this land. 

One hundred and fifty years ago, some voyagers visited 
Patagonia; they tell us the natives wore no clothing, and 
the snow beat on their bodies, and they eat snails, and shell 
fish. The deer were in the distance, and they had no power 

* This lady has feelings for working people. She has not learned that three- 
fourths of the earth is a wilderness, and it is the duty of the rich to work. 
{• Travels in Sweden, by Bahn Bahn— Countess Ipa. 



28 The Laborer ; 

to strike them down. A nation too full some will have 
to leave. If the country of these savages will sustain more, 
it is the duty of the poor Northmen to go there, and use 
kindness to the natives. Persuading them to learn better 
ways may have no effect. It will not be wrong to use force 
to make them improve. " The punishment of nature, hun- 
ger and want,^' is not any more severe than slavery. In- 
dian slavery can only be accomplished if there are no means 
of escape. England after it was left by the Romans, from 
whom many arts were obtained, was invaded from Scotland. 
The Britons wrote to Rome for help, saying: "The barba- 
rians are driving us into the sea." No help came the in- 
habitants submitted, and learned the ways of the conquerors. 

For civilization the Indian has no wish; there he sees the 
laborer have no homes, living in cellars and garrets, going 
about begging work, often used with contumely. The In- 
dian burns trees down for want of an ax ; his hut is made 
of peeled bark. In 162 1, two of the Pilgrims visited the 
Indians, they could give them nothing to eat ; two small 
fish were divided among forty, the visitors came away while 
they had strength. Savage life is precarious in subsistence, 
so is civilization, we need something better. * 

These extracts will show what changes and cruelties, 
have been used to make man what he is. Slavery existed 
in Greece from her earhest history ; it prevailed in the days 
of Homer ; in all the Grecian states a majority were slaves. 
In Athens there were three slaves to one freeman; in Sparta 
the proportion was greater. The Spartans treated slaves 
with humanity, the Athenians were the opposite. The in- 
troduction of agriculture led to the sparing of the lives of 
prisoners to cultivate the earth. The commerce of the 

■^Thomas Rabold, a tailor hanged himself eight miles from Louisville. 
Poverty and failure to obtain employment the cause. — Com. Mar 25th, 1868. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 29 

Chians, the early Greeks, led them to visit parts of Asia 
Minor, and the Southern coasts of the Black Sea, where 
they purchased slaves. The yoke of bondage was galling ; 
the slaves took refuge in the mountains. These bondmen 
chose a leader. The Chians could not conquer them, but 
suffered defeat. The bondmen made these terms, if their 
necessities required it, they should be supplied out of the 
Chian stores in an orderly manner. The ruler of the slaves 
punished the unruly, and would not allow them to waste the 
country. In process of time the Chians were subjugated 
by Mithridates,who gave them to their own slaves, to be car- 
ried into captivity. The Athenians considered this a just 
punishment, for introducing the slave-trade into Greece. 

In Athens slaves could indict their masters for assault. 
The temples were to them places of refuge for safety. In 
times of war the Grecians were good to their slaves, as 
flogged slaves go over to the enemy. Slaves were sold at auc- 
tion, on tables. Owners hired them out. In Athens slaves 
were public and private; clerks and messengers of pub- 
lic w^orks ; they were educated, and accompanied the gen- 
erals and treasurers of the army, and kept an account of the 
expenditures. Slaves, in the dwelHngs of the wealthy and 
luxurious, fanned their masters and mistresses, and drove 
away the flies. Slave bakers had gloves on while making 
bread, and wore gauze over their mouths, so as they could 
not eat what they made. They turned mills, carried water, 
and cut wood. 

The Helots were named from the town Helos, from it 
they were taken 1,000 B. C. They were the property of 
the state, who had the disposal of their freedom and servi- 
tude, and gave them to different masters. Lycurgus pro- 
hibited the Spartans from laboring. If these Helots increas- 
ed too fast, the young Spartans^ it is said, were sent out to 
4 



30 The Laborer; 

assassinate them. Their number was estimated at 500,000. 
They several times rose against their masters, but without 
any success. Plutarch tells us, "Youths distinguished for 
ability were sent forth, armed with daggers and furnished 
with provisions^ to scour the country at night, to slaughter 
all the Helots found abroad. Sometimes they fell on them 
while they were at their labors in the fields.'^ Sometimes 
they were offered the gift of freedom, crowned with gar- 
lands, conducted to the temples — then they disappeared ; 
their fate was unknown. 

The Helots were a source of terror , they revolted when 
they could, and joined an enemy when he appeared. Sparta 
often stipulated for aid from foreign states. The serfs of 
the Syracusans were so exceeding numerous, that it gave 
them courage, and they drove out their masters, and re- 
tained Syracuse. 

The Sicilians treated their slaves with rigor, branded 
them like cattle, and gave them incessant toil. Ennius ex- 
cited them to a revolution. Houses were pillaged, the in- 
habitants slaughtered, and infants dashed on the ground. 
At one time 60,000 insurgents were armed with axes and 
clubs, and they defeated several armies. 

The people of Rome were nobles, plebeians, and slaves. 
As Rome extended her dominions, the nobles acquired 
large estates, which were cultivated with the labor of slaves. 
Their numbers were so great, that the poor freeman were 
unemployed. It was to remedy this evil that some of the 
Roman rulers, were for limiting the quantity of land. The 
elder Gracchus saw that slavery impoverished the people 
and that the nation needed little farms nursing an indepen- 
dent race, and the plow in their hands, and not in the hands 
of slaves. Some of the nobles possessed 10,000 slaves, some 
20,000. The constant wars of Rome increased slaves. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 31 

Spartacus was compelled to serve in the Roman army, he 
was a Thracian by birth, he deserted and at the head of his 
companions carried on a partisan war. He was taken pris- 
oner and sold as a slave, to be reserved as a gladiator. He 
formed a conspiracy among the slaves and escaped. He 
was joined by 10,000 slaves. Spartacus plundered several 
of the cities in Italy. He had 60,000 followers, and de- 
feated the legions many times that were sent against him. 
The various classes of slaves of this period, became the serfs 
of the middle ages. Slaves trained to be gladiators show 
how wicked is man. These had to fight each other with 
short swords, and sometimes engage with wild beasts. At 
other times a gladiator would throw a net over another, if 
he failed he retreated, the other pursued to kill him. A 
hook was fastened into those who were slain, and they were 
dragged out of the arena. These scenes were forbidden by 
Christian emperors. 

Accounts of the wealth and splendor of the first classes, 
in Rome^ almost exceed belief. A writer of this period, de- 
scribing the state of Rome under Honorius, relates that 
several of the senators received from their estates an annual 
sum of $800,000. Provisions of corn and wine, which, if 
sold would have realized one-third of that sum. The estates 
of these patricians spread over distant provinces, and, as 
early as the time of Seneca, " Rivers which had divided hos- 
tile nations flowed through lands of private citizens." With 
such resources at their command, there were no bounds to 
their extravagances. " Many of their mansions might ex- 
cuse the exaggeration of the poet, that Rome contained a 
multitude of palaces, and that each palace was equal to a 
city; since it included within its precincts every thing which 
could be subservient to the use of luxury — markets, hippo- 
dromes, temples, fountains, baths, porticoes, groves, and 



32 The Laborer; 

aviaries/'* The house of Scaurus was valued at the sum 
$3,603,000. The lower apartments were occupied by at- 
tendants. The upper apartments were filled with tables 
and couches, and adorned with curtains. Garlands en- 
twined with ivy divided the walls into compartments, which 
were bordered by fanciful ornaments. Bronze lamps sus- 
pended from the ceiHng shed a brilliant light. The tables 
were of citron-wood more precious than gold, and rested 
on ivory feet. The couches were overlaid with silver, gold, 
and tortoise shell ; the mattresses were of Gallic wool, dyed 
purple ; the cushions of silk embroidered with gold, cost 
$150,000. The pavement was mosaic and represented the 
fragments of a feast not swept away. Young slaves strew- 
ed over the pavement saw-dust dyed with vermilHon. 

In the fourth century the Roman nobility carried out lux- 
ury to the greatest excess. They adorned their houses with 
magnificent statues of themselves, their robes were of the 
most costly kind, and became a burden to the wearer on 
account of the weight of embroidery. When they travel- 
ed any distance, so large was their retinue that it was like 
the march of an army. Their tables were covered with 
the rarest delicacies, and the pleasures of the feast occupied 
much of the time. Concerts, visiting, baths, theaters, and 
other amusements took the rest of the time. Roman sim- 
plicity had been succeeded by oriental magnificence. Ser- 
vices of plate set with precious stones, furniture of costly 
materials and most elaborate workmanship, banqueting halls 
of florid architecture, baths of marble, and villas surrounded 
with enchanting gardens, were now signs of greatness in- 
stead of valor in the field, or wisdom in the cabinet. 

Many of the plebeians forsook all industrious employ- 
ments, lived upon the public distribution of bread, bacon^ 

* Gibbon, vol. iv. page 94. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 3j 

oil, and wine, which, from the time of Augustus, had been 
made for the relief of the indigent. These idlers spent some 
of their time in baths and taverns, which great men with 
the emperor provided, so as to be popular. " Some passed 
the nights in taverns, and under the awnings of the theaters, 
they played dice, and went to the circus, and discussed 
the merits of the horses and charioteers. ^' * 

Slaves formed a large portion of the population of Rome. 
They were artisans and devoted to the professions. They 
were physicians, librarians, and secretaries. At one time 
the possessors of slaves scourged and put them to death at 
pleasure. Under the emperors Adrian and the Antonines, 
the shield of legal protection was thrown over this oppress- 
ed portion of society. Some amelioration was secured, no 
doubt, during the last age of the empire ; but the wrongs 
inseparable from slavery were still endured, and a disposi- 
tion to be avenged on their oppressors was still nourished ; 
for amid the scenes of violence which marked the taking of 
Rome by Alaric, when 40,000 slaves joined the Goths in 
shedding Roman bloody and in trampling into dust the re- 
mains of Roman greatness. That the servile part of the 
Roman population, ministering as they did to the luxury, 
the extravagance, and the vices of their masters, partook of 
the prevalent moral corruption of the times is certain, f 

It was self-interest that induced the rulers of Europe to 
put an end to the sale of men with estates. Slavery was to 
those who used it troublesome and painful. The owners 
of lands knew that rents would give the same results that 
slavery did, splendor and magnificence, without whipping or 
feigned sickness, or the care of feeble childhood and help- 
less age. The lords of Britain knew that, being surround- 
ed with water, the laborers could not escape, and that they 

*Ammianus Marcellinus, lib., xiv. c. 25, -j-See Gibbon's Roman Empire. 



34 The Laborer; 

would still contribute to their idleness and luxury. The 
nicety of legislation, wherever used^ is to give the laborer 
sufficient to keep him alive, and not enough to make him 
independent. How much has the laborer gained? Splen- 
dor and magnificence meet the eye every-where ! The la- 
borer lives in a humble manner, under the fear of want, and 
others having more ability are unceasingly, and unobserved, 
consuming his labor. Religion and learning are often used 
to favor the rich man. Light and knowledge sometime 
or other will descend on the humble man, and this home 
will be a model of his. 

A Rothschild's Home. — You go up a flight of marble 
steps, a vestibule opens on one of the most spacious halls 
in Europe furnished as a reception room, and lighted from 
the roof which is muffled glass. At night an arrangement 
of gas illuminates the vast space. A gallery runs around 
the upper part of the hall, into which party rooms open. 
The lower floor contains the family apartments. 

Purple velvet portiers have an admirable effect at each end 
of the salle^ which has been constructed on the most per- 
fect accoustic principles. The effect of music here is mar- 
velous. Ordinary paper hangings are banished, and each 
room is hung with tapestry, velvet or silk. Every visitor 
has a splendid drawing-room, boudoir, bedroom, and dress- 
ing-room. In every dressing-room is a gorgeous dressing- 
case — ivory brushes surmounted with the Baron's coronet ; 
silver boxes containing cosmetique poudre de risj exquisite hand 
mirrors, mounted in sculptured ivory, silver, and sandal 
wood. A scent bottle of costly workmanship contained a 
jeweled watch, a fair lady using the perfume was informed 
of the time of the day. Hot and cold water supply each 
dressing-room. To describe the thrones taken from the 
summer palace at Pekin, the jeweled cup from Cellina's 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 35 

chisel, the crystal beakers from Venice, the hangings of 
green-broidered satin, in the Baron's own bedroom, is be- 
yond description. Menemo^s queen would be puzzled to 
tell what are the half of all the treasures of art in each 
room. It is a positive relief to go on the grounds, where 
the power of attention has fewer calls. These grounds are 
reached through a series of conservatories and hot-houses, 
filled with Flora's choicest gifts, and the rarest specimens 
of the sculptor's art, and enhvened by the brightest-winged 
birds of the tropics. The grounds are diversified by sheets 
of water, on which are fairy boats. A number of gazelles, 
elands, and all the foreign animals, of the harmless species, 
enjoy this Eden. In the Baron's absence the visitors get 
princely food ; the cellar contributes to their enjoyment the 
finest Madeira in Europe. 

This description should awaken a feehng of indignation. 
Hundreds must be employed to beautify and adorn this 
place, at the expense of the most deserving part of the com- 
munity. Many say this gives employment. Men should 
do work only for themselves, they will have more. The 
robber takes your money in disguise. Does it atone for 
his crime to purchase your goods, or set you to work ? No! 

The sophisms men of wealth have started are the same 
as the robber's plea. The means put forth to get this ex- 
treme wealth is^ "interest,^' "rent,'^ and "profit." The 
time is coming when toilers will be more intelligent, and not 
so selfish as they are now^ and will keep the fruits of labor. 

"It is said there are in the city of New York, not less 
than a dozen houses, that cost $1,000,000 to $1,500,000, 
each rivaling the royal palaces of Europe, only inferior in 
point of magnitude. The most elegant residence in the 
city cost $250,000. Another residence has fitted up five 
rooms at a cost of $54,000. A single room has been fitted 



36 The Laborer v 

up at a cost of $30,000. Side by side with these palaces is 
misery worthy of the old world."* 

Servants are only removed a few degrees from the slave. 
Many of them by frugahty may rise above their condition. 
It is not their duty to invest their earnings, so as to get the 
earnings of others, or be the dupes of those who are wiser. 
The Romans called their slaves servi^ from servare^ to 
'^keep or save," those who were not killed in battle, and 
made to yield money by sale or work. Slaves were taken 
from Britain and sold in the market-place at Rome. The 
word slave comes from Sclavus, the name of a Sythian 
people, whom Charlemagne condemmed to imprisonment. 
The Italians and Germans used to buy those Sclavonians to 
make drudges of them. The proper name of a nation in 
time became the name of a condition of life. 

A long strip of land, on the northern coast of Africa, 
the Mediterranean washing its shores, was to be the scene 
of great events. To the Greeks it was the land of mystery 
and fable, filled with giants and monsters. The Phoenicians 
founded Carthage, which became a ruler of the seas, and a 
founder of trading depots as far as the Niger and the Bal- 
tic. The Carthaginians became the rivals of Rome and 
were conquered by them. The spoils of Carthage adorned 
the proud city of Rome. After the decay of the Roman 
power, the Vandals ruled for one hundred years. The 
Greeks then took this land, to be followed by an irruption 
of Saracens. Swarms of Arabs came out of Egypt till it 
was ruled by the Caliphs. These were driven out by Musa. 
These new conquerors crossed over the narrow straits, and 
laid the foundation of Arabian dominion in Spain. These 
conquerors of Spain, enriched by a fertile soil and prosper- 
ous commerce, have blended intellectual culture with 

* N. Y. Journal. 



A Remedy for his WRoNGSe 37 

Arabian luxury and magnificence. The palaces of their 
princes were splendid, their colleges famous for learning, 
their libraries were filled with books, their agriculture and 
manufactures produced abundance^ when all the rest of Eu- 
rope was buried in darkness. These enjoyed peace for 
three centuries ; then arose conflicts between the Moors 
and Spaniards for four centuries. The Moor was com- 
pelled to abandon Spain. 

After the fall of Grenada, in 1492, about 100,000 Spanish 
Moors crossed over to Africa, and took possession of some 
deserted Roman towns. They spoke the same language 
as the people to whom they went. These new emigrants 
taught navigation, and turned their attention to naval affairs. 
These Moors built row boats, and crossed the channel, and 
plundered the Spaniards at night, and made them slaves. 
From this sprung a system of piracy, that compelled the na- 
tions of Europe to pay tribute and buy the freedom of the 
captives. The order of the Redemption Brothers was, in 
1 188, founded by Jean Matha. These went begging over 
Europe for money to redeem captives ; they took a proces- 
sion of redeemed captives, wearing red Moorish caps, white 
bornouces, and chains. Banners, wax-candles, music, and 
silver covered angels were in the procession. These, on 
approaching a place, were met by the chief men, who col- 
lected for them. In 155 1, Brother Sebastian established a 
hospital, and it became the residence of the Brothers, who 
were the mediums of exchanges. These Christian slaves 
became carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, rope-makers, and 
ship-builders. They received one-third of their earnings for 
their own use. 

Says a narrative of 1720, the Redemptionists offered for 
a surgeon, a father, and son $3,000, the Dey added a Luth- 
eran for $3,500, the reluctant Fathers were compelled to 
5 



38 The Laborer; 

take him. The British Parliament appropriated money, 
in 1646, to buy 750 captives at an average of $190 each. 
In 1 63 1, from the town of Baltimore, Ireland, 237 persons 
were taken by these pirates. 

England, in 1621, made an attempt to release the captives 
by force, but failed. In 1682, the French tried to stop the 
piracies by sending a fleet with a newly invented mortar, it 
proved as destructive to the French as to their enemies. A 
French fleet, in 1688, threw 10,000 bombs into the city of 
Algiers and burnt it. Piracy was resumed in a few years. 
In i8i6,Lord Exmouth, with a fleet, destroyed the city, re- 
leased 3,000 captives, and destroyed Christian slavery for- 
ever. The Tripolitans declared war against the United 
States. Gen. Eaton, the American commander, went to an 
exiled bashaw, and got his assistance to take Tripoli. This 
chief, with his wild tribes, attacked the city in the rear, and 
Gen. Eaton in the front with warships, which resulted in a 
treaty, to make no more slaves of American seamen. The 
Americans also paid tribute. Thos. Jeff^erson writes from 
Paris to John Jay, in 1786. He says: "It will take to make 
peace, with the Barbary States, ^£250,000." 

These States have been conquered by the Turks. The 
Viceroys sent there have usurped the government into their 
own hands. Algiers has, by conquest, become a colony of 
France. It is to be hoped that justice and natural kindness 
will prevail after so many conquests. 

The ancients called that part of Africa, lying along the 
Mediterranean, Libya ; the interior, Ethiopia. It has been a 
land from which slaves have been taken in all ages. The 
Briton and the African have been fellow-slaves at Rome. 
The first were easily obtained, the latter were kept as nov- 
elties. The Portuguese were the first to steal negroes, and 
become acquainted with Africa. No part of Africa was 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 39 

known except the countries on the Mediterranean and the 
Red Sea. In the year 141 2, the Portuguese began to sail 
south, along the western coast. Each navigator got bolder 
and went farther. Vasco de Gama, in 1497, rounded the 
great cape, and sailed through the Mozambique Channel, 
into the open ocean for India. In 1434, Antonia Gon- 
zales carried away some Guinea coast blacks, and sold them 
to some Moorish families in the south of Spain. It be- 
came customary for captains to take from Guinea a few 
young blacks of both sexes. Their labor was found valu- 
able on the ships and ports at home. These blacks were 
sold to others. From this it became a regular traffic, and 
thousands were carried away annually. The villages along 
the African coast obtained them, and exchanged them for 
beads, cloths, and knives. 

America Avas discovered in 1492. The islands, between 
the north and south part, were first colonized by the Span- 
iards, who made the Indians dig for gold, and carry bur- 
dens; they soon died. Labor, ill usage, and sickness car- 
ried them off by thousands. In 1508, the natives numbered 
in St. Domingo 60,000. In 15 15, the number was 14,000. 
The Dominicans denied the right of the Spaniards to make 
slaves of Indians. As early as 1503, negroes were carried 
across the Atlantic. In 15 10, the king of Spain sent fifty 
slaves to work gold mines. Charles V gave one of his fa- 
vorites a right to ship 4,000 blacks. His monopoly was 
sold for 25,000 ducats, to some Genoese merchants, who, 
when they got started, carried more than that number. In 
Venezuela there was an insurrection — so numerous were 
the slaves — in which six Spaniards were killed. 

In 1562, Elizabeth legalized the slave-trade. In 1620, 
a Dutch ship let some Virginia planters have some negroes. 
On trial they proved good, and it led the English to engage 



40 The Laborer; 

in the traffic of slaves. In the middle of the seventeenth 
century ail Europe was engaged in buying and selling men. 
Companies of men would build forts, on some part of the 
coast^ and mount them with cannon, to protect from the 
natives within, and Europeans without. Soldiers, gunners, 
factors, clerks, and mechanics, resided in the fort. The 
stores had all kinds of fancy goods, to supply the traders. 
Factors would go into the interior, and set the tribes against 
each other. A looking glass, a string of beads, or a few 
yards of red cloth, to possess these was the motive of an 
African for setting fire to the villages of joining tribes, and 
pursuing the fleeing inhabitants, to be carried into bondage. 
Black slave-merchants tied the hands of the captives to a 
long rope. Ivory and other merchandise is fastened on the 
slave to be carried hundreds of miles to the ships. Beaten, 
famished, sick, and feeble, many lay down to die. On 
the coast many died broken-hearted. 

Life in these forts was ease, indolence, and licentiousness. 
Smoking and gambling passed away the time, of those 
who engaged in this shameful traffic. On the arrival of 
traders with gold dust and ivory, they were supplied with 
wine and brandy ; under its influence these products did not 
sell for much. ^' These slaves were obtained partly by the 
sword and other means, and exchanged in Hispaniola for 
hides, ginger, and sugar. Prosperous were the voyages, and 
brought great profit to the adventurers." * 

The middle passage of the African was horrible. Be- 
tween the decks of a vessel were ten feet : a scaffold was 
between the two floors. Slaves could not stand upright; 
and were compelled to lie as close as if they were in their 
coffins. Revolts were prevented by chaining them together. 
It often happened that a living and dead person were chained 

* Hakluyt, historian of Sir John Hawkins' slave voyage. 1562. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 41 

together^ death taking one away. At times they were taken 
on the decks, and made to dance with a whip. Some were 
lost by suffocation. The acting of the slaves was often like 
that of animals, when put into an exhausted air receiver ; 
they gasped for breath, exclaiming/^ We are dying." The 
slaves took every method to commit suicide. Often half of 
them died during the passage. 

The brutality that was shown to slaves, was often felt by 
the seamen. In parts of the West Indies might be seen 
emaciated and starving seamen, without hope or comfort, 
fearful examples of wrong doing. If a cabin boy broke a 
glass, or a seaman was untidy, lashes, blows, and kicks were 
applied. Sailors have often destroyed themselves. 

The beautiful islands, that stretch along the joining parts 
of North and South America, have been the scenes of 
great cruelty. Human pen can not describe the miseries 
that Africans have endured for two centuries. Acclimation, 
melancholy, fevers, and cruelty took them away. They 
were divided into mechanics, house, field, and dock hands. 
If the task was not done the slaves were flogged. Sugar 
boiling caused the slave to work eighteen hours out of 
twenty four. Slaves had land given them to work Sundays 
and Saturday afternoons. This labor was to give them 
food for the week. The whip was appHed to the bare skin, 
which made scars and pools of blood. How cruel is man ! 

This system of cruelty, by means of the printer's skill was 
made known over England. Rev. Morgan Godwin was 
the first to write against slavery. Richard Baxter protested 
against the trade, and denounced as pirates those who sold 
men. Dr. Primate wrote on the '^ Duty of Mercy, and 
the Sin of Cruelty.^' In 1735, Atkins, in a voyage to Bra- 
zil and Guinea, exposes the cruelty of slavery. In 1750, 
Rev. Griffith Hughes, of Barbadoes, showed the wickedness 



42 The Laborer, 

of slavery. In 1787, Adam Smith wrote his "Theory of 
Moral Sentiments." Said he : " Fortune never exerted more 
cru-elly her empire over mankind, than when she subjected 
those nations of heroes to the refuse of the jails of Europe, 
to wretches who possess the virtues neither of the countries 
they came from, nor of those they go to, and whose levity, 
brutahty, and baseness so justly expose them to the con- 
tempt of the vanquished." In 1774, John Wesley wrote 
his ^' Thoughts on Slavery." 

Planters, last century, were in the habit of taking their 
slaves to England. These ran away, were baptized, think- 
ing that baptism made them free. In 1729, some masters 
went to the Solicitor-General for his opinion. He said : 
" Baptism did not change the condition of slaves." At this 
period the papers began to advertise the sale of slaves, and 
oiFer rewards for their arrest when they ran away. 

In 1765, David Lyle brought over Jonathan Strong from 
Barbadoes, as his servant. His master struck him on the 
head with a pistol, which caused fever, lameness, and par- 
tial bhndness. This slave appHed to Wm. Sharp, a surgeon, 
who healed the poor gratuitously, for relief and was healed. 
Granville Sharp, a brother of the surgeon, gave the slave 
some money, and got him a place as a messenger to a drug- 
gist. The master determined to possess again his now ro- 
bust slave. He was sent for to a public house, here he was 
seized upon, and two officers took him to prison. He was 
there sold for thirty pounds. Mr. Sharp caused the Mayor 
of London to liberate Strong, as he was in prison with- 
out a warrant. Captain Laird took hold of Strong to take 
him to his ship. Mr Sharp said : " I charge you with an 
assault on the person of Jonathan Strong." This fright- 
ened the Captain, and he let his slave go free. 

Mr. Sharp was affected by this case, and thought it time 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 43 

something should be done for slaves. This slave would 
have died ; he was saved by a benevolent man. To return 
him to slavery again, was abhorrent to the feelings of Gran- 
ville Sharp. Mr. Sharp devoted three years to the study of 
--English law, so that he could advocate the cause of this 
unhappy people. In 1769, he gave the world this book, 
*'The Injustice and Dangerous Tendency of Tolerating 
Slavery in England." 

James Somerset, a slave, was brought to England, in 
1769, He left his master, who recovered him, and sent 
him to Jamaica to be sold. This question was carried to a 
court : ^' Whether a slave, by coming to England, became 
free.'* This question was debated for three months. The 
eloquence displayed in it by those who were engaged on the 
sideof Hberty was, perhaps, never exceeded on any occasion. 
The decision was, as soon as ever any slave set his foot on 
English territory, he was free. In 1772, this trial occurred. 

Dr. Peckard, of Cambridge University, in 1785, gave to 
Mr. Thomas Clarkson the prize for the best essay on this 
theme : " Is it right to make any one a slave against their 
will ? " Mr. Clarkson, in the twenty-fourth year of his age, 
resolved to try and put an end to slavery. He lived to the 
28th of August, 1833. On that day slavery was abolished 
throughout the British Colonies. He spent his time getting 
knowledge and writing books ; these he gave to the mem- 
bers of Parliament, to show them the evils of slavery. Mr. 
Clai-kson called on Wm. Pitt, and showed him how the 
slave-trade destroyed the seamen. In the year 1787, 3170 
sailors left Liverpool to engage in the slave-trade ; only 1428 
returned. Mr. Clarkson showed the muster-roll of every 
ship and the names of seamen who had died. African cot- 
ton cloth^ leather, and iron were also shewn. Mr. Pitt pro- 
mised to do something for the African slaves. On the 9th 



44 The Laborer ; 

of May, 1788,111 the House of Commons, Mr Pitt sard: "He. 
intended to move a resolution of more importance than any 
which had ever been agitated in the house." 

The amiable poet, Cowper, w^rote fifty-six lines, called 
the " Negro's Complaint." This did much good. 

** Forced from home and all its pleasures, 

Africa's coast I left forlorn, 
To increase a stranger's treasures, 

O'er the raging billows borne ; 
Why did all-creating Nature 

Make the plant, for which we toil ? 
Sighs must fan it, tears must water. 

Sweat of ours must dress the soil. 
Think, ye masters, iron hearted. 

Lolling at your jovial boards. 
Think, how many backs have smarted 

For the sweets your cane affords." 

This plaintive song was printed on hot-pressed paper, [a 
new invention at that time,] and sent in letters to the no- 
bility and others. It was set to music. Street ballad sing- 
ers sung and sold it all over England. Appropriate notes 
were attached, to arouse the popular mind against slavery. 

Mr. Wedgewood, the great improver of earthen ware, 
made a cameo of delicate white. In the center was a negro, 
in relief and in his own color. He was in an imploring 
attitude, saying: "Am I not a man and a brother?" These 
were sent all over England, and were inserted into snufF 
boxes, bracelets, and hair-pins, to serve humanity's cause. 

For seven years Mr. Clarkson corresponded with 400 
persons, and traveled in that time 35,000 miles. In Penn- 
sylvania, the Quakers became the opponents of slavery as 
early as 1688. Anthony Benezet, in 1762, wrote against 
slavery. He became a school-teacher, so that he could 
serve the cause of humanity. In 1772, the House of 
Burgesses, of Virginia, presented a petition to the king to 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 45 

remove restraints on his governors of that colony, which in- 
hibited their assent to such laws as might check the slave- 
trade. It was, afterward, made a reason for separating 
from the mother country. 

Dr. Benjamin Rush, in 1772, wrote against slavery. His 
publications were written in a polished style, and showed 
learning and benevolence. In 1787, a society was formed 
for abolishing slavery. Dr. Franklin was the President. 

The Revolution opened the eyes of the American people 
to the evil effects of slavery. David Ramsey wrote the 
history of this country, from 1776 to 1812. He says: 
'' Among the many circumstances which induced the rulers 
of Great Britain to count on an easy conquest of America, 
the great number of slaves had a considerable weight. On 
the sea-coast of the five more southern provinces, the num- 
ber of slaves exceeded those of the freemen. It was sup- 
posed that the offer of freedom would detach them from 
their masters' interests, and bind them by strong ties to sup- 
port the royal standard. 

^^ The mischievous effects of slavery in facilitating the 
conquest of the country, now became apparent. As the 
slaves had no interest at stake, the subjugation of the State 
was of no consequence to them. Instead of aiding in its 
defense, they, by a variety of means, threw the weight of 
their little influence into the opposite scale. 

"Slavery was particularly hostile to the education of 
youth. Slavery also led to the monopoly of lands in the 
hands of the few. It impeded the introduction of laboring 
freemen ; and at the same time endangered internal tranquil- 
lity, by multiplying a kind of inhabitants who had no interest 
in the soil. The sea-coast, which, from necessity, could 
only be cultivated by the labor of black men, was deficient 
in many of the enjoyments of life, and lay at the mercy of 



4^ The Laborer; 

every bold invader. The western country, where cultiva- 
tion was more generally carried on by freemen, sooner at- 
tained the means of self-defense and the comforts of life. 

^' They were not ignorant that their slaves might be work- 
ed on, by the insidious offers of freedom to slay their masters 
in the peaceful hour of domestic security. The hopeless 
Africans, allured with the hopes of freedom, forsook their 
owners and repaired in great numbers to the royal army. 
They endeavored to recommend themselves to their new 
masters, by discovering where their owners had concealed 
their property, and assisted to carry it away." * 

Gen. P. Horry, in his life of Marion, says : '' Now it is 
generally believed the British, after the loss of Burgoyne 
and their fine northern army, would soon have given up the 
contest, had it not been for the foothold they got in Caro- 
lina, which protracted the war at least two years. 

" When the war broke out you heard of no division in 
New England ; no toryism, nor any of its horrid effects ; no 
houses in flames kindled by the hands of fellow-citizens ; no 
neighbors way-laying their neighbors and shooting them and 
carrying off their stock, and in aiding the British in their 
work of American murder and subjugation." 

Hildreth, the historian, says : " The poHcy of Dunmore, 
at the beginning of the contest, of arming slaves against 
their masters, had not been persevered in by the British. 
Neither in Virginia nor the Carolinas had the negro been 
regarded in any other light than as property and plunder. 
The slaves carried off, from Virginia alone, were estimated 
at 30,000. Had they been treated, not as property, hut as 
men^ and the king's subjects, and converted into soldiers, 
the conquest of the Southern States would almost have 
been inevitable.^' South Carolina was not able to furnish 

* See Ramsey's Transactions in Virginia, and History of South Carolina. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 47 

her share of men for public defense, "by reason of the 
great number of citizens necessary to remain at home^ to pre- 
vent insurrection among the negroes, and their desertion to 
the enemy." Virginia had 105,000 slaves during the Rev- 
olution ; 25,000 were seduced from their masters. South 
CaroUna lost the same number, and Georgia 4,000. Lord 
Dunmore, with slave soldiers that he trained, burned Nor- 
folk in Virginia, to ashes, Jan. ist,i776. Arnold was sent 
by the British against Richmond, in Virginia, which he took 
with 900 men, and destroyed the public stores. 200,000 
people in Virginia were made helpless by slaves. The 
Governor could only get 200 persons to attack this bold in- 
vader. The excuse was, slaves had to be watched. Slaves 
fortified Savannah, and made it impregnable against the at- 
tacks of Count D'Estaing and Gen, Lincoln. Hundreds 
of Americans were slain in ditches dug by slaves.* 

An article in Harper's Magazine, 1864, "The burning of 
Washington, in 18 14," says: "The 5,000 men that burned 
the city were composed of infantry, marines, and negroes^ 
who were bribed by promises, and forced by threats, to 
enter the British army." 

The "great Democratic party" has ever been the bul- 
wark of slavery ; the advocate of a system of cruelty that 
has made this government the derision of the world. Had 
there been no slaves, the United States would have had no 
wars. It was 500,000 slaves, in 1776, that invited a for- 
eign army to these shores. It was to enable the South to 
sell cotton, rice, tobacco, and sugar in Europe, that caused 
the war of 18 12. It was to recover 1,500 runaway slaves 
that the Florida Indians were fought. The Florida war 
cost this nation $40,000,000, and the lives of 4,500 soldiers. 
The Mexican war was to favor slavery, and took thousands 

*See "History of Slavery " p. 833, By W. O. Blake, Columbus, O. 1857. 



48 The Laborer; 

of lives and cost $60,000,000. This war, and the repeal of 
the " Missouri Compromise," has led to tlie late unhappy 
war, the evil effects of which will be felt for a generation. 

If this country had been without wars, there would have 
been twice as many cities, houses, and farms. There can 
be no apology for African slavery. The importation of 
African slaves degenerates the people who receive them, 
their manners become Hke those of the slave. Slavery, bru- 
talizes master and slaves, makes a people feeble in intellect 
and resources, and incapable of self-defense from internal 
and foreign invasion. 

Look at the condition of the savage ; he is always on the 
verge of famine. In civilized society there is an abundance ; 
it is very unequally distributed. Slavery may have been a 
cause of this abundance. Queen Anne, in N. Y. State gave 
Van Rensselaer, the right to take a piece of land containing 
5,000 square miles, and has now more than 300,000 persons 
on it. Fulton had a conception of a steamboat, and was too 
poor to build it. Had he asked any of the farmers who 
inhabit this wide domain, for assistance he would have got 
none. He asked for help of one of the ''' lords of a manor,'' 
and with it gave the world a steamboat. The sight of 
wealth is a stimulant to invention and toil. As slavery has 
passed away, the laborer should try and get more of earth's 
comforts. There is nothing in nature why the laborer, who 
does quadruple work, should only get single pay. 




CHAPTER IIL 

HISTORY OF THE LABORING CLASSES. 

Society after the Conquest — Traffic in Slaves — Influence of Christian- 
ity — Increase of Towns and Manufactures — Corporate Immunities—— 
Absurd Legislation — Occupation and Wages of Laborers. 

" Man is born free, yet he is everywhere in fetters." — Rousseau. 




T must be self-evident to those who will reason — 
human society needs reconstructing. This can be 
proved by the many scenes of suffering around us. 
A poor mother was found in the railroad station, at Day- 
ton, with a dead child in her arms ; it had died with hunger. 
The parents and other children were in a starving con- 
dition for want of food. In London a woman went in the 
street to sell flowers ; her child died in her arms for want of 
nourishment. It is true there is public relief^ but doled 
out in small quantities, and grudgingly given; those who ap- 
ply for it are often rudely repulsed. In a state of nature 
all things are common. The Australian native does not 
suffer like those who hve in ruder climes. The bill of fare 
to these natives is not very scanty. The whale, when cast 
on the shore, opens in the heart of the discoverer feelings 
of hospitality \ he kindles a fire on the beach, which is the 
signal for his companions to come and have a feast. Pieces 
of whale are toasted on sticks before the fire. Eating and 
sleeping, singing and dancing, for days now take place. A 
hunter in civilized countries is often a gentleman, and cares 

49 



50 The Laborer; 

nothing for what he kills ; it is the sport, the appetite to eat 
up other's food that is wanted. It is with an Austrahan a 
more serious affair. Hunting quickens his sight and hear- 
ing. With skill and patience he throws a spear at an ani- 
mal, whose hind legs are twice as long as his fore ones. 
If killed, wife and children prepare and cook it. A hole is 
heated in the sand. When hot the animal with his skin 
on, is put in. A fire on the top cooks it. The women 
dig and bake roots for this feast. Seals are sometimes sur- 
prised. The wife and children witness the skill and activ- 
ity of the father ; he plays and romps with his children till the 
seal is cooked. The Australian is very dextrous in feeling 
with his toes for turtles in the ponds, and he is skillful at 
fishing; these are wrapped in grass and baked in hot sand. 

The civilized man is often in want of food. Those who 
possess the soil can make all others obedient to their will. 
The Commercial inquires, " Why are there bread riots in 
England? The country is filled with gold, and the nation 
has an abundant harvest." The reason is plain, the coun- 
try is filled with machines, that do the labor; the hving 
laborer is not wanted. The abundance that is made, feeds 
men abroad seeking for diamonds^ pearls, silver, and gold. 

The twentieth annual report of the Board of Directors of 
Girard College, says: ^'That 500 pupils were educated. Dif- 
ficulty is experienced in binding out pupils in accordance 
with Mr. Girard's will, in consequence of the breaking up 
of the old system of apprenticeship, and the introduction of 
machinery into trades. It is apprehended that in the future 
permanent situations can only be for a few." Sad news 
to be told there are no places for boys to work in. It is 
sadder still to know that 2,000,000 of persons in this land, 
have soil sufiicient to keep 200,000,000 in food. Much 
of this land is for speculation, to the injury of poor boys 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 51 

who want homes. These boys, to get this land,will have to 
toil very hard. Blackstone says : ''A few words on parch- 
ment does not give the dominion of land." It seems to be 
the will of Providence that a few should monopolize the soil, 
to improve the rest. The wide domains that Queen Anne 
gave to her favorites did not belong to her. The rich men 
will pass away when the laborer is intelligent. 

For a long time after the conquest, the Anglo-Saxon di- 
visions of society were maintained, and the inhabitants of 
England were divided into freemen and slaves. Except the 
great baronial proprietors and their free tenants, the rest of 
the nation was depressed in servitude, which was uniform 
in its principle. Those who had fallen into bondage could 
not acquire any right to any species of property. 

One class of villains, or villagers, though bound to the 
most servile offices of rural industry, were permitted to oc- 
cupy small portions of land to sustain themselves and fam- 
ilies. Other ranks of men, equally servile, are noticed in 
the ancient records, particularly the bordars and the cottars. 
The former, in consideration of being allowed a small cot- 
tage, were required to provide poultry, eggs, and other arti- 
cles of diet for the lord's table. The latter were employed 
as smiths, carpenters, and other handicrafts, in which they 
had been instructed, at the expense of the lord. Inferior to 
these were the thralls, or servi, employed in menial services 
around the mansion. Their lives were protected by law. 
With the consent of their owners these cottars could pur- 
chase their manumission. In other respects they were in 
the lowest degradation ; and were to be considered as mere 
chattels and regular articles of commerce. 

Giraldus says : " That so great was the number ex- 
ported into Ireland, for sale, in the reign of Henry II, that 
the market was overstocked. From William I to the time 



52 The Laborer; 

of John, scarcely a cottage in Scotland but what possessed 
an English slave." In the details of the border wars, men- 
tion is frequently made of the number of slaves taken pris- 
oners as forming a principal part of the booty. 

It is not easy to ascertain from writers, the difference in 
the condition of the bondmen. It arose, probably, from the 
utility of their occupations. The servi, or serfs, were 
less valuable than cottars or bordars, who had been trained 
to useful arts. All, however, alike have been denied the 
attributes of freemen. The law recognised in none the 
uncontrolled right to property, or change of place, without 
the consent of the superior. The lord had the absolute 
disposal of their persons, they might be attached to the soil, 
or transferred from one owner to another ; in short, they 
were slaves, in the strictest sense of the word — men under 
perpetual servitude, which the master only could dissolve. 

Sharon Turner says : "The population of England, after 
the desolation of the Normans, amounted to 1,700,000, or 
near that number. It is supposed that 100,000 persons 
were swept away by the Conqueror, in laying waste the 
country betwixt the Humber and the Tees. Attempts 
have been made to class the population, at the close of the 
the Anglo-Saxon period, into the several proportions of no- 
bles, freemen, and those of servile condition, but with no 
pretensions to accuracy. In thirty-four counties the citi- 
zens are made to amount to 17,100, the villains to 102,700 ; 
the bordars to 74,800 ; the cottars to 5,900 ; the thralls or 
serfs to 26,500. The remaining population consisted of 
freemen, ecclesiastics, knights, thanes, and land-owners." 

Of the domestic comforts enjoyed by this class we know 
but little. It may be presumed that from motives of inter- 
est, the lord would supply his villain in infancy and manhood, 
with the essential necessaries of life. It creates in the 




This full-fed man offers this little outcast, a street sweeper, some money to buy a 
new broom. It is to test his honesty, so that he can assist him to gain wealth and 
ease. Such objects would never pain our minds, in this wintry scene, if the chil- 
dren of the poor were sent to a school of industry, and taught to plant, build, spin, 
and weave, so that they can cultivate the earth, and produce their food and fleeces. 
The managers of " Girard College ," in their report, say it is difficult for them to 
find places for their orphans to learn trades j and the cause of this is, labor is done 
by machinery. This fact proves that society should do something to promote the 
happmess of those poor and abject boys, whose labor is of no utility to any person. 

2 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 53 

master the same motives for rearing and preserving his 
thralls as his cattle — a tie dissolved by the laborer becom- 
ing independent, and left to his own prudence to make a 
provision for the vicissitudes of health and employment. 

The work of mitigation and final extinction of English 
slavery, was a gradual and lengthened operation. The first 
blow the system received was the disuse of the practice 
of converting war prisoners into bondmen. The diffusion 
of Christianity, by teaching mankind that they were equal, 
early awakened men to a sense of the injustice of making 
one man the property of another. Frequently at the interces- 
sion of confessors, the feudal lords were induced to enfran- 
chise their slaves. In the eleventh century, the Pope for- 
mally issued a bull for the emancipation of slaves. It was 
declared at the great council, in 1 102, held at Westminster, 
unlawful to sell slaves in the open market. 

It would be a mistake to suppose that slavery ceased in 
the land with this decree. In the Magna Charta, and the 
charter of Henry III, obtained in 1225, a class of men 
are mentioned, who appear to have been treated as chattel 
property. The prohibition to guardians from wasting the 
men or cattle, on the estates of minors, is a clear proof that 
villains were held by servile tenures.* Long after this pe- 
riod they were considered a salable commodity. Sir F. Eden 
cites these instances from ancient authorities: "In 1283, a 
slave and his family were sold by the abbot of Dunstable, 
for 13s. id. In 1333, a lord granted to a chantry several 
messuages, together with the bodies of eight natives dwell- 
ing there, with all their chattels and offspring. In 1339, is 
an instance of a gift of a nief\2i female slave,] with all her 
family, and all that she might possess, and did then own. 
It was not till the reign of Charles II, that slavery was 

^■Villains— those who lived in villages. Bordars — cultivators of bordage lands. 

6 



54 The Laborer; 

wholly abolished by statute." So late even as 1775, the 
colliers in Scotland were bondmen. If they left the ground 
to which they belonged, and as pertaining to which their 
services were bought and sold, they were liable to be 
brought back by summary procedure before a magistrate. 
This slavery was ended by Act 15, Geo. Ill cap. 28. 

Wm. Howitt, in his ^'Rural Life in England," says: "A 
person is struck, when he enters Durham, with the sight of 
bands of v*^omen working in fields, under the surveillance of 
a man. You inquire why such regular bands of female la- 
borers. The answer is : ' Oh, they are the bondagers.' Bon- 
dagers ? that is an odd sound in England. What ! have 
we a rural serfdom still existing in England ? Even so. It 
is a fact. As I cast my eyes on these female bands, I was 
reminded of the slave-gangs of the West Indies." 

Wm. Cobbett says: "The single laborers are kept in 
this manner : about four of them are put in a shed ; which 
shed. Dr. Jameson, in his Dictionary, calls a 'boothie' a 
place where laboring servants are lodged. A boothie is a 
little booth ; and here these men live and sleep, having an 
allowance of oat, barley, and peameal, upon which they live, 
mixing it with milk or water. They are allowed some 
little matter of money to buy clothes with. They hire for 
the year, under very severe punishment in case of misbeha- 
vior or quitting service. A new place can not be had without 
a character from the last master, and also from the minister. 
Upon a steam-engine farm are the married laborers. These 
live in a long shed, with stone walls, and divided into boo- 
thies. Each boothie is twenty feet square. In this a man, 
his wife and family have to live. To make the most of the 
room, berths are erected, which they get up into when they 
go to bed ; and here they are, a man, his wife, and a parcel 
of children, squeezed up in a miserable hole, with their 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 55 

meal and washing-tackle, and other things. It is a shame 
that they are permitted to enjoy so small a portion of the 
fruits of all their labors. Their dwelHng place is bad, their 
food is worse, that upon which horses and hogs are fed. 

''The married man receives about four pounds a year. 
He also has sixty bushels of oats, thirty of barley, twelve of 
peas, and three of potatoes, and also pasture for a cow. 
The oatmeal is made into porridge. The barley-meal and 
pea-meal are mixed and baked into cakes. These cultiva- 
tors get no wheaten bread, beef, or mutton, though the land 
is covered with wheat and cattle. The laborer is wholly 
at the mercy of the master, who, if he will not keep him 
beyond the year, can totally ruin him, by refusing him a 
character. The necessity of a character from the last em- 
ployer makes the man a real slave^ worse off than the negro 
by many degrees. The master has no motive to attend to 
his health or preserve his life. From daylight to dark these 
people work. The cattle, sheep, and wheat are sold. The 
farmer gets a little of the money, almost the whole of it is 
squandered, by the lord at London, Paris, and Rome, to 
whom the laborers are slaves, and the farmers slave-drivers. 
Farm-yards are factories for making corn and meat." 

In the reign of Edward I the condition of the villains 
was so far ameliorated, that they were not obliged to per- 
form every mean and servile office that the will of the lord 
required. Tenures were acquired on lands on condition of 
rendering certain services, such as reaping the lord's corn, or 
cleaning his fish-ponds, harrowing lands for two days in the 
year, or carting the lord's timber. As early as 1257, ^ ^^^" 
vile tenant, if employed before midsummer, received wages, 
and he was permitted, instead of working himself, to pro- 
vide a laborer for the lord ; from which it is evident he pos- 
sessed the means of hiring one. At this period a class of la- 



;56 The Laborer ; 

borers began to exist, who were at liberty to barter their 
services to the best bidder. These were important trans- 
actions, indicating the rise of a middle class and indepen- 
dent race of workers. By granting to the vassals a right to 
property, they received a stimulus to acquire more ; and by 
giving to them a part of the immunities of freemen, they 
were raised one step in the social scale, and put in a state 
to contend and treat with their oppressors for the remainder. 

While the people were in a state of slavery, it may be 
conjectured that their diet would be the mere offal and re- 
fuse of their master ; and no more than necessary, to en- 
able them to support their toil. At this period, the food of 
the laborer was principally fish, bread, and beer. Mutton 
and cheese were considered articles of luxury, which formed 
the harvest-home feast. 

Wages were a penny a day at harvest, and a half-penny 
at other times. Their habitations were without chimneys, 
and their principal furniture consisted of a brass pot, valued 
at three shiUings; and a bed at six shillings. 

The variations in the prices of commodities were great, 
owing to the absence of middlemen. The trade of a corn- 
dealer was unknown ; except at the Abbey-Granges. The 
natural consequence must have been, that the farmers had 
no capital, and disposed of their crops at moderate prices 
soon after the harvest. Purchasers who only looked to im- 
mediate use, and having corn cheap, were usually improvi- 
dent. As the year advanced, the price frequently arose 
enormously before harvest. Stowe relates, that in 13 17, 
before harvest the supply of wheat was nearly exhausted, the 
price was £4. the quarter. After harvest it was 6s. 8d. A 
reference to the table of wages and the price of food tells 
of the misery of the times. 

The progress of manufacturing industry, and town pop- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 57 

ulation operated favorably on the condition of the working 
classes. The woolen manufacture had been known as 
early as the Conquest, and, for greater security during a bar- 
barous age, had been chiefly established in boroughs and 
cities. It was at first carried on by the Flemings. The 
privileges, conferred by the sovereign, on weavers, fullers, 
and clothiers, in allowing them to carry on their trades in 
walled towns, and form themselves into guilds and compa- 
nies, governed by corporate laws, were not more intended 
for the advancement of their art, than to protect their per- 
sons from popular outrage, and their property from depre- 
dation. Such was the want of police during the thirteenth 
and fourteenth centuries, that robbers formed themselves 
into bands, under powerful barons, who employed them in 
acts of violence and plunder, and justified their conduct, 
and partook of their booty. The king's retinue was often 
beset and pillaged by banditti. Towns, during the fairs, 
were assaulted and ransacked, and men of rank carried off 
and confined in the castle of some lawless chieftain, till 
their ransom was paid. In so general a state of insecurity it 
was impossible that the pursuits of agriculture should thrive 
without special protection. The immunities granted to 
merchants and manufacturers, to make laws, to raise troops 
for their own defense, enabled them to taste the blessings 
of order and protection, and enrich themselves, while the 
occupiers of land were languishing in poverty and servitude. 
The superior comforts enjoyed in towns, no doubt, inspired 
the dependents of a manor with ideas of emancipation 
from a state in which they could scarcely obtain the com- 
forts of life.* 

If in the hands of a poor cultivator, oppressed with the 
services of villainage, some little stock should accuraulate, 

*Sir F. Eden's State of the poor, voU I p j8, 



58 The LABOREk; 

he would naturally conceal it from his master, by whom it 
would be claimed, and take the first opportunity to escape 
to a town. The law was indulgent to the inhabitants of 
towns, and so favorable to diminishing the authority of the 
lord, over those in the country, that if a vassal should con- 
ceal himself from the pursuit of his lord for one year he 
was free forever. 

By the demand for manufactures, a large number of vil- 
lains were converted into free laborers. The number was 
increased, during the long wars of Edward III, in France, 
which must have obliged him to give freedom to many of 
his villains, to recruit his exhausted armies. The legisla- 
tion of 1350, gives us this fact, that those who worked at 
husbandry and the loom worked for hire. 

In 1344, a terrible pestilence prevailed, labor became ex- 
tremely dear. A proclamation was issued to fix the price 
of labor. "The Statute of Laborers" was enacted to en- 
force it, by fines. The statute says, since the pestilence no 
person would serve unless allowed double wages, to the de- 
triment of the lords and commons. It provides that in fu- 
ture plowmen, carters, shepherds, swineherds, and other 
servants shall receive such liveries and wages as they re- 
ceived in the twentieth year of the king's reign. If paid in 
wheat it was to be tenpence a bushel. Hay-makers and 
weeders were to be paid a penny a day ; mowers were to 
receive fivepence a day ; reapers twopence a day^ without 
diet. Laborers were enjoined to carry their implements of 
industry in their hands to the market towns, in a pubhc 
place, to be hired. 

This unjust interference with the freedom of industry 
was repeatedly confirmed by succeeding parliaments. A law 
of 1363, regulated the diet and apparel of laborers; and 
that of 1388, which prohibits servants from removing from 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 59 

one place to another; and finally, to conclude these oppres- 
sive enactments, justices of peace were to fix the price of 
labor every Easter. The statute of 1363, directs that arti- 
ficers, servants, and laborers, shall be served once a day, 
with meat and fish, or the waste of other victuals, as milk 
and cheese^ according to their station. The cloth of yeo- 
men and tradesmen, was not to cost more than one shilling 
and sixpence a yard. Plowmen and other farm hands were 
to use only black russet, at twelve pence a yard. Clothiers 
were to make and keep a sufficiency on hand. 

One important fact may be elicited : the laborers had ex- 
tricated themselves from the grasp of their feudal masters, 
who were compelled to resort to acts of parliament to get 
power to compel servitude. Law was in place of arbitrary 
power. Before the end of the fourteenth century, freedom, 
order, and industry, had made considerable progress. The 
mass of the people, when contrasted with those of the Con- 
quest, were rich and thriving. Historians are silent on 
many points — there is evidence that domestic happiness was 
greatly improved. The immunities granted to cities, the 
introduction of manufactures, the dawning of the polite 
arts, the humanizing tendency of Christianity, are causes 
which have ameliorated the condition of the community. 

It is to these that we may ascribe the changes in the po- 
litical opinions of the laboring classes. Wat Tyler, in the 
year 1381, required of the king abolition of slavery; free- 
dom of commerce in market towns, without toll or impost, 
and a fixed rent on lands instead of services by villainage. 

"These requests," says Mr. Hume, '^though extreme- 
ly reasonable in themselves, the nation was not prepared to 
receive, and which it were dangerous to have yielded to in- 
timidations, were however complied with. Charters of 
manumission were granted, and although they were revoked 



6o The Laborer; 

after the rebellion was crushed — many hundreds of the 
insurgents were executed as traitors. The spirit that man- 
ifested itself during this period, prevented masters from im- 
posing, and vassals from again submitting, to the oppressive 
service of bondage." 

Various causes changed the villains into free laborers, 
and created tenantry, who were strengthened by manufac- 
tures and commerce. At the Conquest, most of the lands 
in England were parceled out among the Norman nobility. 
Earl Morton acquired no less than 193 manors; and Hugh 
de Alrinces received the whole palatinate of Chester. The 
extensive county of Norfolk had only sixty proprietors. 
The owners of such vast possessions hved on their estates. 
Earl Spencer, in the time of Edward 11, possessed 1,000 
oxen, 28,000 sheep, 1,200 cows, 500 cart horses, 2,000 
hogs, and of salted provisions 600 bacons, 80 beef carcasses, 
600 sheep, and also ten tuns of cider. This nobleman's 
estate was probably managed by stewards, and cultivated by 
the labor of villains or slaves. This was spent in rude and 
riotous hospitahty. Commerce at length led to allurements 
of a different kind, and induced him, from motives of per- 
sonal gratification, to lessen the number of his idle retainers 
and to grant a portion of his demesnes to a tenant, on con- 
dition of receiving a rent, which might enable him to ex- 
tend his pursuits beyond gorgeous entertainments, field 
pleasures, or domestic warfare. 

The progress of manufactures led to a revolution among 
land-owners and other ranks of community. Instead of 
fortunes being spent in supporting numerous idlers, it was 
expended in the production of art. Dr. Smith, the author 
of the " Wealth of Nations," says : "For a pair of diamond 
buckles, or something as frivolous, they exchanged the 
maintenance of a thousand men for a year.^' It is to more 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 6i 

rational causes this change may be attributed. The desire 
of bettering our condition is the parent of many virtues ; it 
would compel the lord to prefer comfort to barbaric splen- 
dor, and the villain to engage in the independence of trade. 
These changes produced advantages for the general good. 
A man, by dismissing half of his useless domestics, increases 
his enjoyments ; he could clothe himself in w^oolen and fine 
hnen instead of coarse canvass and a leathern jerkin. It 
would add the production of horticulture to his table, and 
would render a dreary castle more comfortable with warm 
hangings on the bare walls. 

In 1406, we have evidence, competition commenced be- 
tween rural and town industry. A statute had been passed 
compelling those who had been brought up to the plow 
till they were twelve years of age, to continue at husbandry 
all their lives. To evade this law agricultural laborers sent 
their children to the town, as apprentices under that age. 
It was enacted that no person, unless possessed of land of 
a rental of twenty shillings, should bind a child to any trade, 
except that of the parents. 

In the reign of Henry VII, the race of villains was al- 
most extinct. The useful arts had made a wonderful prog- 
ress. In the statute of laborers for 1496, bricklayers are 
for the first time mentioned as artificers, and also gla- 
ziers. In 1567, glass was a rarity, only in castles. It was 
used for farm houses in the time of James I. 

The diet of laborers at this period had become whole- 
some by the introduction of vegetables. Their dress was 
simple, the hat and hose were made of cloth, the coat was 
fastened on with a belt. Laws were in force reo-ulatino; 
the quantity and quality of the wearing apparel. A statute 
of Richard III limited the price of a hat to twenty pence. 
In the reign of Henry VIII, it was enacted that no serving 



62 The Laborer; 

man, under the degree of a gentleman, should wear a coat 
containing more than three broad yards, under forfeiture. 
The cloth was not to exceed twenty-pence a yard. The 
statute of 1496, fixed the rate of yearly wages. A shepherd 
was to receive £1. A common farm servant's wages was 
1 6s. The yearly allowance for his clothing was 5s. A 
woman received for a year los, and 4s. for her clothing. 
Artificers received 6d., and a laborer 4d. a day, and no food. 
In harvest id. a day more was paid. The food was 2d. a 
day. Yearly laborers received food. If any person re- 
fused serving at these wages he might be imprisoned. 

The statute said the hours of labor should be from five 
o'clock in the morning to seven at evening, from March 
to September. One hour shall be allowed for breakfast. 
An hour for dinner, and half an hour to sleep. In winter, 
the hours of labor were from ^^ springing of day " till dark. 
The diet of the artisan was one-third of his income, and 
one-half of the laborer ^s. The rewards and relaxation from 
labor are the same to the EngHsh laborer now as they 
were in 15 14. 

Erasmus says : " The dwelHngs of the common people, 
had not yet attained to the convenience of a chimney, to 
let off the smoke, the flooring of their huts was nothing but 
the bare ground ; their beds consisted of straw, with a 
block of wood for a pillow." Fortesque, who wrote in the 
reign of Henry VI says of the French peasantry, "Thay 
drink water, thay eate apples, with right brown bread made 
of rye ; thay eate flesch, bu]t it be seldom ; a little larde, or 
of the entrails, or of the beds of beasts, sclayne for the no- 
bles or merchaunts of the lond." 

At the close of the reign of Henry VII, originated that 
class denominated the poor — those who are free, but with- 
out the means of supporting themselves by their industry. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 63 

Individuals in this unhappy condition are in a state of slav- 
ery. Those who can not live independently of the support 
of others can not, in the affairs of life, act the part of free- 
men. The great mass of English poor is nothing more 
than the continuance, under a mitigated form, of the race of 
villains, who have exchanged baronial for parochal servitude. 

With the feudal system, a regular chain of subordination 
subsisted from the highest to the lowest. All thought of 
personal independence was precluded, and each individual 
looked for maintenance and protection to his next superior. 

A cause may be assigned for the contrast presented be- 
tween rural and civic industry. In the country, laborers 
are often hired by the year. They are guaranteed against 
all casualties. Their remuneration does not depend on 
wages — they have the produce of a garden. These are not 
exposed to those temptations of pleasure and irregular life, 
which are among the many causes of extreme wretchedness 
in towns. 

The extension of commerce is one of the causes of the 
poor. It is an evil inseparable from commerce — that it 
augments population, without providing a permanent sub- 
sistence for the people. The employments that spring from 
commerce must always be liable to variations. The in- 
ventions of machinery, or the ever-changing fashions, often 
take away work. Unless there be some certain provision 
for the people, independent of these fluctuations, there must 
be great distress, and numbers must perish. 

In the year 1376, we have evidence that there was a dis- 
position to vagrancy among laborers. It was a complaint 
that masters were obliged to give their servants high wages, 
to prevent them from running away ; that many of the 
runaways turn beggars, and lead idle lives in cities and 
boroughs, although they have sufficient bodily strength to 



64 ' The Laborer ; 

gain a livelihood, if willing to work ; that others become 
staff-strikers, wandering in parties from village to village, 
but that the chief part turn out sturdy rogues, infesting the 
kingdom with frequent robberies. To remedy these evils, 
the Commons proposed that no relief shall be given; that 
vagrants, beggars, and staff-strikers \_cudgel-players~\^ shall be 
imprisoned till they consent to return home to work, and 
whosoever harbors a runaway servant shall be liable to a 
penalty of ten pounds. This is the first time beggars are 
mentioned ; it shows the earliest opinion of the Commons 
on mendicity. These persons were chiefly found in towns 
where, owing to commerce and the introduction of manu- 
factures, the principal part of the wealth of the nation 
accumulated. 

In 1388, it was enacted that those who, by lameness or 
sickness, could do no work, had a legal claim on the rev- 
enues of the clergy. In 1391, an act was passed that a 
part of the tithes for the support of monasteries should be 
set apart for the maintenance of the poor. These regula- 
lations laid the foundation of the English system of poor 
laws. For two centuries before the Reformation, the leg- 
islature struggled against the evil which accompanied the 
transition from slavery to free labor, and their poHcy was 
directed to objects similar to those which now engage 
the attention of law makers, to analyze the mass of vaga- 
bondage, imposture, and real destitution. To punish the 
former and relieve the latter, brandings whipping, imprison- 
ment, and sitting in the stocks, were employed. Scholars 
were hable to these penalties, unless provided with written 
testimonials from, the chancellor of their university. Sail- 
ors, soldiers, and travelers were also provided with pass- 
ports to travel homeward by the shortest road. Artificers 
and laborers were forbidden to play at unlawful games, ex- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 65 

cept on Christmas. Two justices were empowered to re- 
strain the common selling of ale in towns and places where 
they should deem it expedient, and to take surety of the 
ale-house keepers for their good behavior. 

In 1530, beggars got license to beg within certain limits. 
Their names were registered if found without license, or 
beyond the assigned limits. The offender was fed on bread 
and water in the stocks for two days. Able-bodied men 
found begging, were flogged, and made go to labor. 

An act in the time of Henry VIII made it obligatory on 
the head officer and householder of every parish to main- 
tain, by collection of voluntary and charitable alms, for the 
poor of the parish in such a way, that ''none of them of 
very necessity be compelled to go openly on begging," the 
alms to be collected Sundays^ holidays and festivals. The 
ministers in their sermons, collations, confessions, and at 
the making of wills, are required to ''exhort, move, stir, and 
provoke the people to be liberal in their contributions tow- 
ard the comfort and relief of the impotent, decrepid, and 
needy poor." Some of the poor are directed to go round 
twice a week, and collect from each householder his bro- 
ken and refuse meat and drink, for equal distribution among 
the indigent. Precautions were taken by fines and penal- 
ties to guard against embezzlement the parochial alms and 
doles, from constables and churchwardens. 

The Reformation affected property more than Industry. 
It was the transfer of a large portion of the English soil to 
laymen from spiritual corporations. That there was a ne- 
cessity for it may be inferred from the Mortmain Act, passed 
in the reign of Henry II, "That government had become 
fully sensible of the hurtful tendency of the vast accumula- 
tions of the religious houses." It was this transfer that 
made England take the lead of the nations of Europe in 



66 The Laborer; 

wealth and intelligence. Had the vast possessions of the 
clergy remained in their hands, they must have formed an 
obstacle to the productive power of the country. The re- 
venue used by the priesthood can not clearly now be ascer- 
tained. The number of religious houses were 1,041, and 
the revenues were near ^£273,106. Tithes are supposed to 
be twice that sum. Upon good authority it is stated the 
clergy owned seven-tenths of the whole kingdom. There 
were four orders of mendicants to be maintained, against 
whom no gate could be shut, to whom no provision could 
be denied, or secret concealed. 

Henry VHI, to obtain the consent of parliament to his 
spoliations, declared that the revenues of the abbeys should 
be applied to the expenses of the state, and no loans, subsi- 
dies, or other aids be asked. The chief portion of these ben- 
efices were given to the nobility. Sir F. Eden doubts if 
the monasteries gave themselves any trouble with the poor, 
that did not belong to their own demesnes. The abbeys 
were burdened with the rich more than the poor. Sheriffs 
and other great men traveled from abbey to abbey, with 
great retinues, regaling themselves at each and exacting 
presents. Laws were made to make abbeys keep the poor. 

It has been computed that 50,000 monks were thrown 
on society during the Reformation. Edward VI punished 
'^ idleness and vagabondries," by enacting ''That any per- 
son who refuses to labor, and lives idly for three days, he 
shall be branded with a redhot iron on the breast, with the 
letter V, and be adjudged a slave for two years to the per- 
son who informed on him. And the master is directed to 
find his slave with bread and water, in small drink, and re- 
fuse meat as he thinks proper; and to cause his slave to 
work by beating or chaining him. If the slave absconds for 
fourteen days he is a slave for life ; and if he runs away a 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 67 

second time he shall sufFer death." These laws were found 
too severe and abolished. The statute provided that certain 
of the poor shall be employed by the town. 

In pursuing the various occupations of industry, the 
people had discovered the means of emancipating themselves 
from feudal servitude; and the nobility, preferred the arts 
to baronial splendor, which was the source of idleness and 
disorder. Personal authority was exchanged for luxury and 
comfort. Their influence over their dependants wasted 
away, and was still made weaker by civil wars. So many 
ancient families were sacrified in civil contest, that Henry 
VII could only get twenty-eight peers to his first parliament. 
The dissolution of monasteries destroyed ecclesiastical au- 
thority, and removed obstacles to progressive industry and 
a middle rank, whose condition it is to be hoped will be 
enjoyed by all. Hume says: "In the interval between 
the fall of the nobles and the rise of this order, many of 
the monarchs assumed an authority almost absolute." 

The police of the country was defective, and did not at- 
tain to perfect order. Punishment was not lenient, it was 
vigorous and unrelenting. Harrison says that Henry VIII 
executed his laws with such severity, that 72,000 "great 
and petty thieves were put to death." He adds, in EUza- 
beth's reign, "rogues were trussed up apace. Commonly 
in one year, 300 or 400 of them were eaten up by the gal- 
lows in one place and another." These punishments did 
not prevent robbers, sometimes as many as 300 together, 
from plundering dwellings and sheepfolds. These outrages 
are attributed to the changes in society, the uninstructed 
condition of the laborer. 

Schools were rare. Young men were taught in monas- 
teries, the women in nunneries, in writing, drawing, confec- 
tionery, and needle work. Domestic manners were se- 



68 The Laborer; 

vere and formal ; a haughty reserve was afFected by the 
old, and an abject deference by the young. Some, when 
arrived at manhood, are represented as standing uncovered 
and silent in their father's presence; and daughters were 
not permitted to sit before their mothers, but must kneel 
till she retired. Omissions were punished with stripes and 
blows, to such an excess, that the daughters trembled at 
the sight of their mother, and the sons avoided their father. 

The diet of the people appears not to have differed from 
the present time. In cities meat was consumed. The food 
of laborers, in time of Henry VIII, was a small quantity 
of bacon, and it is probable they hved much in the same 
manner as the husbandmen in Scotland, their food consist- 
ing of oat and rye bread, milk, and pottage. The substan- 
tial diet of the sixteenth century was limited to the tables 
of persons of rank. A maid of honor of Elizabeth's court 
perhaps breakfasted on beefsteak, but the plowman was 
compelled to regale himself on barley or rye bread and 
water gruel. Morrison says : " Husbandmen weare gar- 
ments of coarce cloth made at home, and their wives weave 
gowns of the same cloth, kirtles of light stuffe with linnen 
aprons, and cover their heads with a felt hat, their linnen is 
coarce and made at home." 

In 1597, Elizabeth directed that four overseers be chosen, 
to set poor children to work and others wanting it. The 
church wardens were to build houses on the waste, and put 
poor people in them. James of Scotland had an act passed, 
that "Hail inhabitants shall be taxed and s tented on their 
substance, to keep poor people." These acts were passed 
in Elizabeth's reign. Profaneness and immorality, neglect- 
ing to go to church, and not wearing a woolen cap on Sun- 
day, were finable offenses, and the money was given to the 
poor. A curious act was also passed: "No cottage shall 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 69 

be erected unless it had attached to it four acres of land." A 
special commission from Charles I, was issued to enforce 
this statute. In 1495, a laborer working a certain amount 
of time, could purchase with his wages 199 pints of wheat ; 
in 1593, ^^ same time and labor would only purchase 82 
pints of wheat; in 16 10 the same time and labor only pur- 
chased 46 pints. The increase of indigence increased crime. 
A magistrate, in Somersetshire, in 1596, affirms that ^^ Forty 
persons were executed, thirty-three burnt in the hand, and 
thirty-seven were whipped in one year." James I enacted 
"That dangerous rogues shall be branded with the letter R 
with a redhot iron and placed to labor; if afterwards found 
begging they shall suffer death." In 16 10, Parliament gave 
to magistrates the power of rating the wages of the working 
people. They were to take notice of those who " Goe in 
good clothes and fare well, and none knowes where they 
live ; those that be night walkers." They were to enforce 
the laws that required poor children to learn trades. A 
wandering family were required to tell when married, and if 
the children had been christened; "For these people live 
like salvages, neither marry, nor christen; which licentious 
libertie, make so many delight to be rogues and wanderers." 
At this time a proclamation came out to the nobility and 
gentry, to take no suppers on Fridays, fast days. Lent, or 
Ember week, and the meat that was saved was to be given 
to the poor. In 1697 John Locke expressed an opinion 
that many who got public reHef could work, and that work- 
schools should be started for destitute children, the boys to 
have trades, and the girls to be prepared for service. In 
1 7 14, John Bellars proposed "The College of Industry," 
for the poor. This writer said : "The poor without employ- 
ment were like rough diamonds, their worth is unknown." 
In 1723, at Hanslope it was found that if houses were pro- 



7© The Laborer ; 

vided, a poor person could be kept for is. 6d. per week. 
In 1758, Mr. Massie said the poor were increased by tak- 
ing away the '' commons," by removing the people from 
farming to the fluctuating demands of trade and manufac- 
ture. In 1760, Dr. Adam Smith states that half of the 
people of England do not eat wheat bread, they use as a 
substitute rye, oats, and barley. In 1768, it was enacted 
that tailors should work, from six in the morning to seven 
o'clock at night, one hour allowed for meals, their wages was 
not to exceed 2s. 7jd. a day. In 1796, Mr Whitbread in 
Parliament said : " In most parts of the country the laborer 
had been long struggling with increasing misery, till the 
pressure was too great to be endured." Mr. Pitt replied 
''That the condition of the poor was cruel, and, as such 
could not be wished on any principle of humanity or policy." 

In 1807, the population of England and Wales numbered 
8,870,000; not less than 1,234,000 persons were partakers 
of public relief. In 18 18 infant schools were established 
by Brougham, Macauley, Sir T. Baring, Lord Dacre, and 
the Marquis of Landsdown. The motive for instruction 
'' was to keep them from vice and mischief and give them 
the rudiments of virtue and knowledge." 

Lord Brougham ascertained that one-third of the English 
children had no learning. In Parliament he exposed the 
abuses of school endowments from good people. A clergy- 
man was at the head of a school, and received .£900 and 
had only one scholar. Another school yielded .£500, and 
had no scholars ; the school-room was rented for a sawpit. 
This nobleman has been the means of millions of the poor, 
obtaining an education. He began the cause of universal 
instruction in 18 16. In 1823, Parliament sent to the Cape 
of Good Hope 350 persons, and 586 to Canada as an ex- 
periment for unemployed poor. At this period Mechanic's 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 71 

Institutions were established. In 1824, ^^1 ^^e old statutes, 
from the time of Edward I, relating to the combinations of 
workmen, the rates of wages, and the hours of work, were 
repealed. The great injustice had long been felt of allow- 
ing masters in concert, to fix the rate of wages and the 
hours of work, and interdicting the workman to fix theirs. 

In 1827, a number of men distinguished for hterary and 
scientific attainments, established a society, "For the Dif- 
fusion of Knowledge among Men." The object of this socie- 
ty was : " The imparting of useful information to all classes 
of the community, particularly to such as are unable to avail 
themselves of experienced teachers, or may prefer teaching 
themselves." In this year, a Committee of the House of 
Commons, reported : " That in the United Kingdom, cir- 
cumstances indicated a great deterioration among the people 
of the agricultural districts, where wages were so depressed 
by competition for employment^ that the laborer is com- 
pelled to live chiefly on bread and potatoes, seldom tasting 
meat. Symptoms of an approaching servile war are discern- 
able, which can only be averted by relieving the market. 
In Ireland it was ascertained that a part of the population 
were dependent on the precarious source of charity, or is 
compelled to resort to plunder and spoliation, for the actual 
means of support." The committee said colonization was 
the best remedy. 

In 1 83 1, the barbarities practiced in manufacturing dis- 
tricts, caused an act to be passed that a person under twenty 
one years of age shall not work at night. The hours of 
labor to be from half past five in the morning to half past 
eight in the evening. The hours of labor to those under 
eighteen shall be twelve. One hour and a half shall be al- 
lowed for meals. A parliamentary committee said : " The 
cruelty and cupidity of mill-owners in the pursuit of gain 



72 The Laborer; 

has hardly been exceeded by the Spaniards in the pursuit of 
gold." Fifteen boys went to a ragged school on Sunday 
evening. The clock struck eight, which caused them to 
start away. The master detained one and said : ^' The les- 
son is not over." The reply was : " We must go to busi- 
ness, and catch them as come out of the chapels.'^ The 
boy had no remorse or shame, in making this avowal ; be- 
cause he believed he would die with starvation, if he did 
not go and steal. To another boy the master spoke of the 
terrors of after Hfe. The boy said : " That may be so, but 
I don't think it can be any worse than this world is to 
me." There are in London alone 30,000 juvenile beggars 
and thieves, many of whom are not as moral as the brutes 
of the earth, and many have nothing but rags tied on them. 
This chapter will teach what laborers have suffered. It 
is not legislation men want^ it is more industry. Were the 
kings of the earth, with their horses, servants, and soldiers, 
made to do work, misery would cease. Those who have 
started governments by conquest were robbers, they are con- 
tinued among men by violence, fraud, folly, and ignorance. 
When the wrongs that governments do shall cease, man- 
kind will be happy. Men are made poor by those who 
govern them. Want makes crime, and it will ever be so 
while one man works, and another does nothing. Society 
contains many who do single work and get quadruple pay. 




CHAPTER IV. 

GOVERNMENTS AND FEUDALISM. 

Patriarchal Governments — The Origin of Monarchies — Their Cor- 
ruptions AND Changes — William the Norman — His Advent into 
England — Feudalism its Origin and Necessity to Improve Men. 

"Governments are caused by men's wickedness." — Paine. 




|N the earth, at the present time, may be found na- 
tions and tribes of men who are a type of the past 
generations in every period of time. In Ceylon 
some of the interior natives hve in trees, and have httle or 
no language. The habitations of the Australians are made 
by the women, of branches, bark, and clay. The Patago- 
nians, in the days of Columbus, had no conception of a fire. 
Little did man know when he commenced his career on 
this earth, he had none to guide him. Nature provided 
spontaneous productions for all his wants. Those who 
lived longest had the most experience, and were the guides 
to others. In course of time there would be an insufficien- 
cy of room, which would cause some one to start into the 
wilderness. His family would increase, after awhile this man 
would be the patriarch of his tribe, who would obey him 
because he knew the most. His commands would be 
reasonable because he loved his people. Their wealth 
would be flocks, which would give them milk and fleeces. 
These would require pasturage, and in changing their pas- 
turage, these shepherds would come in contact with other 

(73) 



74 The Laborer; 

tribes, which would lead to a conflict. The conquered 
party would be willing to be slaves for the sake of having 
their lives spared. The two tribes would easily overcome 
another tribe. Has the leader of the successful party a right 
to adoration, or a greater share of the spoils, than the others ? 
Has his posterity a right to honors and rewards forever ? A 
leader of a battle is often at a distance. The leader has a 
feeling of satisfaction, and this should be his only reward. 
Hereditary honors, how costly they are to mankind ! The 
family of England's Queen, with her own salary costs her 
nation annually $6,000,000. This enormous sum requires 
hundreds of tax-gatherers to collect it. To keep the people 
from revolting, a standing army of 24,000 persons are re- 
quired ; these consume a fourth of the laborer^s earnings. 
After the war between those shepherds, was there any need 
of the chief living a life of idleness, or lessening the scanty 
stores of the others ? 

There can be no doubt the ancient Britons were once 
rude shepherds. It is commerce and being conquered that 
has made England great among the nations of the earth. 
The Conquest in England's history marks the line of that 
which is authentic from that which is doubtful. All the 
history antecedent to William the I contains much that is 
marvelous and improbable. The improvements in the 
arts were slow in one period, rapid in the other. What a 
contrast between the two periods of time ! One is a long 
night of bondage, darkness, and error, with only gleams of 
social amelioration. The latter period shows what a fa- 
vorable chmate, and the discoveries of men of genius can 
accomplish. 

The Teutonic invaders of England did much to make 
stronger those germs of art and science started by the Ro- 
mans. These latter taught the Britons how to build stone 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 75 

houses, to spin and weave cloth. The Anglo-Saxon insti- 
tutions were analogous to all communities entering on the 
early career of civilization. Such was their rudeness that 
the marriage rites were not always observed. They held 
in slavery two-thirds of the people. It was the introduction 
of Christianity that did much to reclaim them. The code 
of laws made by King Alfred show the progress of religion. 
It was William the Norman that gave to us all the usages 
and customs of modern society, and it may be profitable to 
know something of his Hfe. 

He was the seventh Duke of Normandy. He was called 
a duke from this fact; 150 years before William's time a 
pirate of the name of Rolla, left his rude home on the Bal- 
tic, with some followers. He took possession of a part of 
France, and it was called Normandy, from the Northmen 
who conquered it. The King of France could not expel 
this invader. He made a compromise: Rolla should rule as 
a duke if he would do homage for his dukedom. The hom- 
age was, that he should kneel in the presence of all the po- 
tentates and chieftains, and put his clasped hands into those 
of the king, and then kiss an embroidered slipper on the 
king's foot. This Rolla did not like to do. One of the no- 
bility was called to^do it. He lifted up the king's foot so as 
to throw him off his seat. The king had been besieged in 
his capital, and was too feeble to resent this insult. Another 
condition of peace was that Rolla should be baptized; and 
marry a daughter of the king. A long peace followed ; the 
resources of the fertile country were drawn out. Wil- 
liam had abundant means for his invasion of England. The 
conqueror of England was not of noble blood, on the side 
of his mother. Robert, the father of William, saw a girl, 
the daughter of a tanner, washing clothes at a stream. He 
sent for her to live at his castle. It was not customary for 



76 The Laborer; 

dukes and peasants to marry. It is strange that those who 
are the most useful should be held in contempt, while a pi- 
rate's descendants, who can overrun a province and make 
its people poor, are held in esteem. At the present time 
excessive riches are acquired by injustice, and their possess- 
ors are more regarded than those who keep men from dying 
by their useful toil. The offspring of Robert and Arlotte 
was William, a very beautiful boy. His father was proud of 
him. At his father's death,when thirteen years of age, hom- 
age and fealty was shown to him by the barons. The rea- 
son of this obedience, was that the king of France might 
recover again his province, which had been given up. By 
being united they could keep down the common people. 
Barons are often quarrelsome ; a duke or a king can do 
very much toward reconciling them. A king is a judge 
as well as a leader. A nice analysis of the laws of civihzed 
society show they favor the rich more than those who do 
the hard toil. There is a sufficiency of labor done to make 
every one rich. The labor is put in the wrong place. In- 
equahty must ever exist where the rich make the laws. If 
riches were universal, crime would cease. 

William's pretext for invading England was, he consid- 
ered himself the legitimate successor to its crown. Ethel- 
red, the Saxon king of England, married Emma, a sister of 
one of the dukes of Normandy. Edward, one of her sons, 
was much in Normandy, and was often in William's com- 
pany. When Edward became king of England, William 
paid him a visit. Edward had no children, and William, 
it is said, obtained a promise from him, that he should in his 
will be named as his successor. 

Edward the king had a quarrel with the Earl Godwin, 
which led to a cruel civil war. A compromise was made ; 
Godwin was to retain his rank, and the government of a 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 77 

province, and he promised to dismiss his armies, and to 
make war upon the king no more. He bound himself to 
the faithful performance of this covenant by giving the king 
hostages, Godwin gave to King Edward a son and grand- 
son. Edward sent these to William for safe keeping. It 
was those who were the best beloved that were given up. 
A non-fulfillment of the contract subjected the hostages to 
torture and death. These lived in continual fear among 
their enemies. Godwin died. Harold his son asked King 
Edward if he could go to Normandy for his brother and 
nephew, as there was no longer any reason for detaining 
them. Edward did not like to give them up, as Harold 
was ambitious. Harold went over the channel ; a con- 
trary wind wrecked him on the dominions of the Count of 
Ponthieu, who demanded a large ransom before he was re- 
leased. William received Harold with a great deal of hos- 
pitality, he got up games, feasts, and military spectacles, and 
gave to the followers of Harold suits of armor, presents of 
horses, and banners. WiUiam went on an expedition, and 
took Harold with him ; on the journey home William told 
Harold that King Edward was to adopt him as his succes- 
sor. Harold had designs to secure the crown for himself. 
As he was the guest of William he consented to his plans. 
The most solemm oaths were administered to Harold to 
bind him to his word. William kept Harold's brother, 
promising to bring him over when he came to England. 
Harold did not consider his oath binding, as it was taken to 
prevent being made a prisoner. Harold collected munitions 
of war, made friends of the wealthy, and sought the favor 
of the king. Edward, on his death-bed, told his nobles to 
choose whom they liked for their king. Harold was made 
king with much splendor. Wolves destroy in packs; they 

have a leader. Nobles and wolves are aUke. 
8 



78 The Laborer; 

William, on receiving the news that Harold was made 
king, made preparations to invade England. Every baron 
in his realm was bound, by the feudal conditions on which 
he held his lands, to furnish his quota of men for any en- 
terprise the sovereign should see fit to engage in. The no- 
bles found ships and money. On the EngHsh soil the bat- 
tle of Hastings was fought. It was long and severe. Harold 
with 250 of his nobles were slain. This battle made Wil- 
liam king. He fortified London and reduced the island to 
his sway. He confiscated the property of the nobles who 
had fought against him. This conquest was the means of 
introducing into England and America pernicious customs, 
the evils of which it will be as difficult to convince the 
people, as it will the Chinese women that it is wrong to 
wear tight shoes. 

Nothing could exceed the terror of the English on the 
death of Harold. Stigand, the primate, made submission 
to the conqueror in the name of the clergy. The nobility 
made submission also to him. William accepted the crown 
upon the terms that he should govern according to the cus- 
toms of the country. He could have made what terms he 
pleased \ though a conqueror he wished to be thought an 
elected kino-. For this reason he was crowned at West- 
minster. He took the oath that he would observe the laws, 
defend the church, and govern the kingdom with imparti- 
alitv. William did not find ruling very pleasant. His wife 
and son Robert governed Normandy in his absence. Robert 
used his influence to supplant his father. The King of 
France assisted Robert, which caused William to invade 
his country and burn his towns. He assaulted the town of 
Mantes, and set it on fire \ while riding among the ruins his 
horse stepped on some fire concealed among ashes ; the 
pain made the horse to throw his rider, which caused the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs, 79 

death of William. Many, when they come to die, think 
they can atone for a life of avarice, legal plundering, and 
abstracting others' comforts^ by religious charity, by sending 
clothing and missionaries to Africa, or building a fine church. 
Religion makes men moral and saving. Many invest their 
religious savings in vi^ild lands and corner lots, for specula- 
tion, after consuming a generous portion of the gains, "an 
offering to the Lord" is made to soothe the conscience of 
those who know their money comes from those suffering 
painful anguish of mind and bitter self-denial. 

Remorse of conscience troubled William for his deeds. 
He cried to God for forgiveness, and ordered the monks to 
pray for him. He gave his money to the poor, and ordered 
the churches that he had destroyed to be rebuilt. As soon 
as William was dead, his attendants carried his arms, plate, 
furniture, and" dresses away. Monks came with crosses 
and tapers, to pray for the repose of his soul. The body 
was put in a cart to be buried in a monastery he had built. 
As the procession was moving along, a fire broke out, and 
those in the procession went to put it out. The body went 
on. At the grave a person forbid the burial, because the 
abbey lands had been taken without paying for them. A 
sum was paid for a grave. A stone coffin had been made, 
it was found too small, and in trying to put the body in, the 
coffin broke. The church was so offensive every body left 
except the workmen, to fill up the grave. 

The English historians complain, of the most grievous 
oppressions of WilHam and his Normans. Whether by 
his conduct the conqueror willingly gave the English oppor- 
tunities of rebelling against him, in order to have a pretense 
for oppressing them afterward, is not easy to say ; but it is 
certain that the beginning of his reign can not justly be 
blamed. The first disgust against his government was ex- 



8o The Laborer; 

cited among the clergy. William could not avoid the re- 
warding of those numerous adventurers, who had accom- 
panied him in his expedition. He first divided the lands of 
the English barons,* who had opposed him, among his 
Norman barons ; but as these were found insufficient, he 
quartered the rest on the rich abbeys, of which there were 
many in the kingdom, until some opportunity of providing 
them offered itself. 

The whole nation was soon disgusted, by seeing the 
real power of the kingdom placed in the hands of the Nor- 
mans. He disarmed the city of London, and other places 
which appeared most warlike and populous, and quartered 
Norman soldiers wherever he dreaded an insurrection. 
This was indeed acting as a conqueror and not as an elected 
king. The king having thus secured England as he imag- 
ined from any danger of revolt, determined to pay a visit 
to his Norman dominions. He appointed Otho his brother, 
and William Fitz Osborne as regents in his absence ; and to 
secure himself yet further he took with him such of the no- 
bility as he had no confidence in. 

His absence produced most fatal consequences. Dis- 
contents and murmurings were multiplied every-where; 
conspiracies were entered into against the government ; hos- 
tilities were commenced in many places ; and every thing 
seemed to threaten a speedy revolution. William of Poic- 
tiers, a Norman historian, throws the blame on the English. 
He calls them a fickle and mutinous race. The English 

^ Baron, a degree of nobility, a lord or peer, in rank below a viscount, 
and above that of a knight or baronet. The barons were the feudatories of 
princes, the proprietors of land held by honorable service, and members of the 
parliament. Barons had courts on their domains, and were judges of the people. 

Viscount, an officer who supplied the place of earl or count — a sheriff. 

Feudatory, a tenant or vassal who holds lands of a superior, and owes for 
the use of them military service. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 8f 

historians tell us, that these governors took all the opportu- 
nities of oppressing the people, either with a view of pro- 
voking them to a rebellion, or, in case they submitted, to 
grow rich by plundering them. A secret conspiracy was 
formed among the English for a general massacre of the 
Normans. The conspirators had already taken the resolu- 
tion, and fixed the day for the massacre, which was to be . 
on Ash- Wednesday, during the time of divine service, 
when the Normans were unarmed, as penitents, according 
to the discipline of the times. The presence of William 
disconcerted all their schemes. Some of the conspirators 
consulted their safety by flight ; and this served to confirm 
the proofs against those who remained. From this time 
the king not only lost all confidence in his English subjects, 
but regarded them as inveterate and irreconcilable enemies. 
He had already raised such a number of fortresses, that he 
did not dread any of his discontented subjects. He deter- 
mined to treat them as a conquered people. He revived 
the tax of the Danegelt.* This produced insurrections. 
Exeter and Cornwall revolted ; they were soon subdued, and 
began to implore the conqueror's mercy. Many fled into 
Scotland and other places. 

The EngUsh did not fail privately, in the woods and high- 
ways, to assassinate the Normans, when there was no pos- 
sibility of being brought to justice. The conquerors began 
to wish for security; several of them desired to be dismissed 
from service. William, to prevent it, increased their boun- 
ties. The consequences were fresh exactions from the 
English, and new insurrections to prevent it. The county 
of Northumberland, which had been most active in revolt, 

Danegelt, an ancient tax to procure money to expel the Danes, or give it 
to them to leave. It was at first a shilling for every hide of land, and ^f^cr- 
ward seven. The Danes, when masters, levied the same tax. 



82 The Laborer; 

suffered the most. On this occasion 100,000 persons per- 
ished by sword and famine> The estates of all the English 
gentry were confiscated, and given to the Normans. All 
the ancient families were reduced to beggary, and the Eng- 
lish excluded from preferment. 

In order that WiUiam might have a hunting ground^ he 
created New Forest, by destroying many villages and twen- 
ty-two parish churches. Manors* and chapels were de- 
stroyed within a circuit of thirty miles. Blount says: '^It 
was attended with divers judgments on the posterity of 
William — one son Rufus was shot by an arrow, Richard 
met the same fate. Henry, nephew of the oldest son, w^as 
caught by the hair of the head in a tree, like Absalom." 

William caused a survey of lands in thirty counties in 
England. This survey was made in 1078. The reason 
given for this survey is, "That every man should be satis- 
fied with his own right, and not usurp with impunity what 
belongs to another." All those who held lands became 
vassalsf of the king, and paid him, as a fee, money, homage, 
service, in proportion to the lands they held. For the ex- 
ecution of this survey, commissioners were sent into every 
county and shire. These were to be informed upon oath 
by the inhabitants, of the name of each manor^ and that of ' 
its owner; the number of hides of land, J the quantity of 
wood, pasture, and meadow lands ; how many plows in the 
demesne, § how many fish-ponds, and mills belonged to it ; 
with the value of the whole ; also whether it was capable 

* Manor, a gentleman's country house, a district bounded with stones, 
from maen, a stone. This word means the house and lands of a lord for his 
own subsistence, and the right to hold court-baron [a court.] 

-|- Vassal, a servant to a prince for the use of lands, which are cultivated by 
persons in humble life, who become vassals to the lord. 

J Hide of Land, a quantity of land, supposed to be what one plow can do 

2 Demesne, a manor house for the use of the family, with sufficient lands. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 83 

of improvement or being advanced in value. They w^ere 
likewise directed to return the tenants of every degree, the 
quantity of lands then and formerly held by each of them, 
what was the number of villains or slaves, the number and 
kinds of their cattle. These inquisitions were sent to the 
king's exchequer. This survey gave great offense to the 
people; and occasioned a suspicion that it was intended for 
some new imposition. This survey, ^*'The Great and Lit- 
tle Doomsday Book," is now in Westminster, written in 
Latin, highly wrought, on vellum. A part is thus translated: 

*%^? hing Ijolfes ^^vmrnhmu, 
xM Bi 12 l^ibps of lanb; on onp is o 
imnm, 25 tiillains, 33 borbars, a 
npto r^urrS tDit§ 20 arrps of nipa- 
fioto, anb pasturag? for filip |ogs.*'* 

Dr. Stuart says : " The spirit of feudalism was national 
defense and domestic independence." Feudalism is a system 
so contrived that a conquering people can defend them- 
selves from enemies without, and an outraged people within. 
Without a knowledge of feudalism it is impossible to un- 
derstand the nature of civil governments, or the laws relat- 
ing to the possession of land. 

^ Villains, were annexed to the manor, attached to the person of the lord, 
and transferable to others. Bordars, those who tilled land to supply the lord's 
table, which were pieces of bords or boards. Bord-land was to supply the ta- 
ble, or boards, with food, fronri which comes bordars. These letters are speci- 
mens of those used to record this survey, and it reads thus : The king holds 
Bermundesky [in Brixistan Hundred], rated at twelve hides of land, etc. 



84 The Laborer; 

The constitution of feuds* had its origin in the military 
policy of the Goths, Franks, Vandals and Lombards, who 
poured themselves in vast multitudes into all the nations of 
Europe at the declension of the Roman empire. It w^as 
brought by them from their own countries, and continued 
in their new colonies, as the most likely means to secure 
them their new acquisitions. Large parcels of land were 
allotted by the conquering general to the superior officers 
of the army, and by them dealt out again to the inferior 
officers, and most deserving soldiers. These allotments 
were called ^^feoda," "feuds," "fiefs," or "fees,"t which 
appellation signifies a conditional reward ; and the condition 
was, that the possessor should do service faithfully, both at 
home and abroad in the wars. He who received them 
took an oath of fidehty to him that granted them. If this 
oath was broken, the stipulated service not performed, or 
the lord forsaken in battle, the rewards were to revert again 
to him who granted them. 

Allotments thus acquired, naturally engaged such as ac- 
cepted them to defend them ; as they all sprang from the 
same right of conquest, no part could subsist independent 
of the whole. All givers as well as receivers were bound 
to defend each others' possessions. This could not be 
done in a tumultuous, irregular way, some subordination was 
necessary. Every receiver of lands, was bound, when called 
on to defend the same, when called upon by his benefactor, 
for his feud or fee. The benefactor was under the com- 
mand of the prince. Almost all the real property of Eng- 
land is by the policy of the laws, granted by the superior lord 
or king in consideration of certain services to be rendered 
by the tenant for this property. This lord becomes a ten- 

* Feud, a quarrel between families or parties in a state, a right to lands on 
certain conditions, -j- Fee, a loan of land, an estate in trust for services. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 85 

ant of the king or a chief tenant. This grant was called 
a tenement^ the manner of the possession a tenure^^ and the 
possessors tenants. By this reasoning all the lands in Eng- 
land is supposed to be holden by the king, who is the lord 
paramount. The tenures, by which the lords held their 
lands, were sometimes very frivolous. One lord had a 
grant of land given him for being the king's champion. His 
duty was to ride armed cap-a-pie\ intoWestminster Hall, and 
by the proclamation of an herald, make a challenge, '* That 
if any man shall deny the king's title to the crown, he is 
there ready to defend it at single combat." When this is 
done the king sends him a gilt cup full of wine, which the 
champion drinks, and keeps the cup for his fee. This 
championship is in the family of Sir John Dymock, who 
holds the manor of Sinvelsey, in Lincolnshire. This manor 
has been held in this family since Richard H. At the coro- 
nation of Charles II and George HI, a person of this name 
was their champion. 

Some had "feofs" or grants of land for carrying the 
king's banner, his sword, or holding the stirrup when mount- 
ing his horse, or for being a butler; others, who lived on the 
borders, for sounding a horn on the approat:h of an enemy. 
Some had grants of lands for annual gifts of bows and 
arrows. Others for gifts of ships. The greatest number 
of these tenures were held for knight service. \ These 
grants of land were great in proportion to the services given. 

* Tenure, the manner of holding lands and tenements of a superior. All 
the species of ancient tenures may be reduced to four, three of which subsist to 
this day. i. Tenure by knight service, which is now abolished 2. Tenures 
by fealty or paying rent. 3. Tenure by copy of court roll or written deed. 
4. Tenure in ancient demaip, or having improved and occupied the land. 

\ Cap-a pie, covered with armor from head to foot. 

\ Knight, a man admitted to military rank by imposing ceremonies. A 
privilege conferred on youths of rank. In modern times a title, which is Sir. 

9 



86 The Laborer; 

Those who understand heraldry* can tell, from coats ofarms^\ 
for what purposes these grants of lands were given. Her- 
aldry is a kind of rude writing that tells of the deeds of the 
lords in battle. It was in use before printing. Its devices 
are placed on the persons, houses, and carriages, of those 
who are entitled to them. The size of the grants of land 
gave birth to the orders of aristocracy of various names. 

The king had daily wants, these at first were no doubt 
supplied by the labor of villains from his own lands, which 
exceeded the lands of the nobility. The lords supplied 
their wants from the labors of vassals and slaves. The 
difference between the two is this : the vassal was a soldier 
on foot for a limited period, frequently for forty days, or the 
payment of an assessment in place of it, such as plowing the 
lord's land for three days. The villain's services were base 
in their nature, such as manuring the fields and making the 
hedges, while the other was honorable. SirWm. Temple 
speaks of them as '^A sort of people in a condition of down- 
right servitude, used and employed in the most servile 
works, belonging, both they and their children, and also 
their eff'ects, to the lords of the soil, Hke the rest of the 
cattle or stock upon the land, to be removed at the lord's 
pleasure or will." 

These villains, belonged principally to lords of manors, 
and were either villains regardant — that is, annexed to the 
manors — or villains in gross^ that is, annexed to the person 
of the lord, and transferable from one owner to another. 
They could not leave their lords without his permission ; if 
they ran away, or were purloined from him, they might be 

* Heraldry, is the art, or science, of recording genealogies, and blazoning 
arms or armorial ensigns. It teaches what relates to processions and ceremonies. 

■j- Coat of Arms, a short dress on which was embroidered the deeds of the 
family in silver and gold. Its devices are now put on panels and shields. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 87 

claimed like other beasts or chattels. They held small 
portions of land by way of sustaining themselves and fami- 
lies. The lord could dispossess him at any time when he 
pleased. A villain could acquire no property either in 
lands or goods ; if he purchased either, the lord of the 
manor"^ could seize them to his own advantage, unless he 
contrived to dispose of them again before the lord seized 
them. 

In many places a fine was payable to the lord, if the vil- 
lain presumed to marry his daughter, without his consent, to 
any one. The lord could bring an action against the hus- 
band for purloining his property. The children of the vil- 
lains were also in the same state of bondage with their pa- 
rents. The law, however, protected the persons of villains, 
as the king's subjects, against atrocious injuries from the 
lords. The lord could beat his villain with impunity, and 
there was no redress for him. The lord was amenable to 
the law only for maiming or killing his villain. 

In process of time villains became manumitted, and 
gained considerable freedom from their lords, and came to 
have an interest in their estates — the good nature and be- 
nevolence of many lords of manors having, time out of 
mind, permitted their villains and their children to enjoy 
their possessions without interruption in a regular course of 
descent. In general, these persons held their estates at 
the will of the lord, and were tenants by copy of court-roll. f 

It is an instructive lesson to mark the transitions of the 

■^ The lord, in addition to his manor lands, had tenemental lands which he 
distributed among tenants who held them by different modes of tenure. 
These lands were called book or charter lands, held by deed, rents, and soldier 
services, from whichhave arisen freehold tenants under particular manors, and 
were called folklands, held by no writing, but distributed among the common 
people at the pleasure of the lord. 

f Court-roll, a tenant's tenure, made from the rolls of the lord's court. 



88 The Laborer; 

social condition of men. Ten centuries ago portions of 
Europe were occupied by men who possessed the soil in 
common, and were nearly equal in their condition. This 
same land is now full of mansions, the abodes of learning, 
refinement, and splendor. This is all at the expense of 
humble toil. For the use of a piece of land the laborer has 
to give one-half of his labor, and half of what he has left 
to the power that enforces these exactions. These rents 
at the first were very mild and only occasional, and were 
called aids and reliefs to be given by the vassals on extraor- 
dinary occasions of the son coming of age, his marriage, or 
when the lord died, and his son took the oath of fealty to 
the king. These contributions are called aids.^ 

When the lord was reduced to distress and captivity by 
public or private wars^when he was in embarrassment from 
prodigality or waste, when he required means to support 
his grandeur or advance his schemes of ambition, the vassal 
came forward to relieve him. The vassal, on entering his 
fief [grant of land] felt grateful, and, won with the kindness 
of the lord, made him presents. These acknowledgments 
natural and commendable, produced the incident of relief.f 

While these grants of land were precarious, or for life, 
the superior chose to educate, in his hall, the expectants 
of his fiefs. As these fiefs or fees were to descend to the 

"^ Aid, the assistance a person gives to another. Aid in Law, a tax paid by 
a tenant to his lord j at first a gift it became a right demandable by the lord 
md was chiefly of three kinds, i. To ransom the lord when a prisoner. 2. 
To make the lord's eldest son a knight. 3. To marry the lord's eldest 
daughter with gifts. These modest aids, and reliefs have now become rents. 

■j- Relief is to remove or lift, in law, is a fine payable to a lord by the heir 
of a tenant, (whose parent or ancestor held land by knight service,) for the 
privilege of taking up the estate, which, on strict feudal principles, had lapsed 
or fallen to the lord on the death of his tenant. This relief consisted of horses, 
arms, money and the like. The amount was at first arbitrary, but afterward 
fixed at a certain rate by law. This fine was payable when the heir was of age. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 8g 

heir of his vassal, at his death the lord took charge of the 
son and his estate. The lord protected his person, directed 
his education, and watched over his concerns, and felt a 
pride in observing his approach to manhood, and delivering 
to him, on his majority, the lands of his ancestors. When 
the heir became of age he could sue for his estate from his 
guardians. When the heir had possession of his estate he 
paid a fine to his lord equal to half a year's profit of his 
land. If this guardianship was done in a proper spirit, its 
incidents were devoted and aff^ectionate friendship, and 
pleasing intercourse. These cares ,were expressed by the 
interests of wardship.* 

Grateful for the past, and anxious for the future favor 
of his chief, the vassal did not incline to ally himself with 
a family that was hostile to his chief, who was ambitious 
to add to his power and splendor by consulting the benefi- 
cial alliance of his vassal. They joined in finding out the 
lady whose charms and connections might accord with the 
passions of the one and the policy of the other. f 

When the vassal gave way to violence or disorder, or 
when, by cowardice or delinquency, he rendered himself un- 
worthy of his fief — -the sacred ties that bound him to his lord 
were infringed — it was necessary to deprive him of his land 
and give it to one more honorable. This is called escheat. J 

* Wardship, in feudalism, one of the incidents of tenure by knight service. 
The wardship of the infant was a consequence of |he guardian having an 
ownership in the soil. The infant vassal was to be the companion of the lord, 
hence he was the most proper person to give his ward such an education as 
would enable him to perform the services he was bound to render. 

j" Marriage, in ancient times, was a means used to strengthen the power of 
kings and nobles. Marriage has often merged two kingdoms peacefully into 
one. The lords, in past times, quarreled often with each other. Intermarriages 
would promote peace. Each lord was to his subjects the same as a king. What 
marriage does for the chief lord, it does the same to the inferior lord. 

J Escheats, lands that are forfeited to the lord by the death of his vassal. 



go The Laborer; 

To perpetuate the conquest made it necessary to have all 
the lands in England divided into what are called knighfs 
fees [fees mean fiefs or grants of land.] They numbered 
60,000 ; and for every fee a knight or soldier was bound to 
attend to the king in his wars, for forty days in a year ; in 
which space of time the campaign was generally finished, 
and a kingdom either conq lered or was lost. By this 
means the king had at his command 60,000 men without 
expense. 

The knights or soldiers were of two kinds. Knights to 
the king, and knights to the lord — the one had honor, the 
other service. They were distinguished by the name of 
knighthood and knight-service. To become a knight of the 
higher class required much ceremony. The council of the 
district where he belonged was assembled. His age and 
quahfications were inquired into; and if deemed worthy of 
being admitted to the privilege of a knight, his father adorned 
him with the shield and lance. In consequence of this so- 
lemnity, he prepared to distinguish himself, and his mind 
was open to the cares of the public ; the concerns of his 
family were no longer the objects of his attention. 

Knighthood, known under the name of chivalry^ is to be 
dated from the nth century. All Europe being reduced 
to a state of anarchy and confusion by the decHne of the 
house of Charlemagne, every proprietor of a manor became 
a sovereign ; the rnansion house became a castle, and was 
surrounded by a moat. The lord of a castle had often en- 
gagements with other^. It frequently happened that castles 
were pillaged, the women and treasures carried ofF by the 
conquerors. During this state of universal hostility, there 
was no friendly mode of communication between the pro- 
vinces, nor any high roads from one part of the kingdom 
to the other. The traders traveling from one part to 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. gi 

another with their merchandise and families were in danger ; 
the lord of every castle extorted something from them on 
the road ; and at last, some one more rapacious than the 
rest, seized upon the whole cargo, and bore off the women 
for his own use. Thus castles became warehouses of all 
kinds of rich merchandise, and the prisons of distressed fe- 
males, whose fathers or lovers had been slain or plundered. 

Many good lords associated together to repress these 
scenes of violence and rapine, to secure their property and 
protect the ladies. The association received the sanction 
of a religious vow and ceremony. The first knights were 
men of the highest rank. The fraternity were regarded 
with reverence. Admission into this order was deemed the 
highest honor. The candidate fasted from sunrise, con- 
fessed himself, and received the sacrament. He was dressed 
in a white tunic, and placed himself at a side table, where 
he was neither to smile, speak, or eat ; while the knights 
and ladies, who were to perform the principal ceremony, 
were eating, drinking, and making merry at the big table. 
His armor was put on — he advanced with his sword hang- 
ing about his neck, and received the benediction of the 
priest. From this time the knight devoted himself to the 
redress of wrongs, to secure merchants from the rapacious 
cruelty of banditti, and women from their ravishers, to 
whose power they were exposed by the confusion of the 
times.* 

Valor, courtesy, justice, humanity, and honor, were 
traits of character in the knight, and to these were added 
religious duties ; these were productive of improvement in 
manners. War was carried on with less ferocity, humanity 
was deemed an ornament of knighthood, and knighthood 
a distinction superior to royalty. Gentle manners were in- 

^The lords engaging in the Crusades made wars cease among themselves. 



92 The Laborer; 

troduced, and courtesy was recommended as the most amia- 
ble of virtues, and every knight devoted himself to the ser- 
vices of a lady. Violence and oppression decreased, when 
it was accounted meritorious to check and punish them. 
A scrupulous adherence to truth, with the most religious at- 
tention to every engagement, were some of the benefits 
of chivalry. 

During the prevalence of chivalry, the ardor of repressing 
wrongs seized powerfully many knights. Attended by their 
esquires * they wandered about in search of objects whose 
misfortunes and misery required assistance. To assist and 
relieve the ladies was an achievement they most courted. 
This was the rise oi knights-errant ^ whose adventures have 
been the foundation of many romances. f 

If we compare the amount that an Englishman pays now 
for the loan of an acre of soil, with the amount that the 
barons of William I received, we can see how aggressive 
and unjust are a few to the many. The English tenant 
has now to give one-half to two- thirds of his labor for rent. 
It was not so with the Norman tenant. What he paid was 
only occasionally, and under the modest name of aids^ reliefs^ 
presents^ the exactions of wardships and marriage prese?its. 

The ties that bound the barons and his soldiers together, 
were destined to undergo a change. The bond of union was 
the danger that surrounded them. When the baron did 
not fear the subjugated English, then he began to increase 
the burdens that his vassal should bear, which may be illus- 

* Esquire, once a shield-bearer and an attendant on a knight. Nov/ a 
title given to the younger sons of the nobility, to the king's court officers, to 
counselors at law, justices of peace, sheriffs, and gentlemen. In the United 
States this title is given to officers of all degrees, from governors down to jus- 
tices and attorneys. When used to others it is a mark of respect. 

•|- Knight-errant, a knight who traveled in search of adventures, for the 
purpose of exhibiting his military skill, prowess, and generosity. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 93 

trated by a benevolent writer:* "The Arab trains his 
camel, from its birth, to all the exercises and hardships it is 
to undergo during the whole course of its life. He accus- 
toms it to labor hard and eat but little. He teaches it to 
draw its legs up under its belly, while it suffers itself to be 
laden with burdens, that are insensibly increased as its 
strength is improved by age, and by the habit of bearing fa- 
tigue. This singular plan of education princes sometimes 
adopt, the more easily to tame their subjects,''^ 

The generous maxims of feudal association and the wild- 
ness of chivalry were to suffer with time. Property was to 
be unfolded in all its relations. It became a distinction 
more powerful than merit, and was to alter the condition 
of human society. By separating the interests of the lord 
and his vassals, it was to destroy forever the principles of 
their association; and the incidents, which, in a better age, 
had fostered their friendships, were to feed their rage. As 
their union had been attended with advantages, their disaf- 
fection was attended with debasement. Out of the sweets 
of love, a fatal bitterness was engendered. Oppression was 
to succeed freedom \ society and governments were to be 
disorderly ; diseases and infirmities were to threaten its 
decay. 

In the prevalence of property and mercenary views the 
vjard\ of the infant vassal was to be regarded in no other 
light than a lucrative emolument. He committed spoils on 
the estate which of old it was his duty to improve. He 
neglected the education of his heir, and gave insults to his 
person. His relations were often compelled to buy from 
his superior the custody of his person and his lands. This 

*Abbe Raynal's Hist, of Europeans in East and West Indies, vol I, p. 3 3 3. 
f Ward, a guardian over a child. To charge for these services would 
open a wide field of avarice and peculation, and be a source of bitterness. 



94 The Laborer; 

right of wardship was frequently let out to the rapacity of 
strangers. The treasury of princes'^ was to increase with 
this traffic; and subject superiors were to imitate the exam- 
ple of princes. The heir, on his joyless majority, received 
the lands of his ancestors with a melancholy feeling, his 
castle bore the marks of neglect, his fields were deformed 
with waste, grievances were to embitter his complaints and 
swell his passions, his woods decayed, houses fallen down, 
stock wasted, lands barren. The heir was also to pay half 
a year's profits of the lands for suing out his livery,f and 
also the price and valuation of his marriage. J 

If he refused such a wife as his guardian provided for 
him and married another the fine was twice as large. The 
expensive honor of knighthood mzA^ the poverty of the heir 
apparent, and the deductions from his fortune to which he 
had to submit often ruined him, and if obliged to sell his 
patrimony, he had not even the privilege allowed him of 
selling out by a license of alienation. § A slavery so compli- 
cated and extensive called for a remedy. 

The reliefs which originally was no more than a present^ 
at the pleasure of the vassal on entering his fief, was con- 
solidated into a right. An expression of gratitude was 
converted into a burden. The superior, before the heir 
entered on his land, made an exaction of him, in which 
he had no rule but his rapacity. His demand was exor- 
bitant. If the fine of redemption was unpaid or delayed, 

* The king was the guardian of the orphan children of his nobles. 

•}■ Livery, the ceremony of delivering to an heir his estate, and releasing 
the lord from wardship j it is also the form and color of the dress of servants, 
to distinguish them from others. 

J Charles I was the last monarch to exercise this custom of finding a part- 
ner in marriage for his ward. 

^ License, in law is authority granted to do some act. Alienation, a 
transfer of lands and tenements to another. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 95 

the superior continued the possession of the estate. This 
produced discontent which was not regarded. 

The marriage of the vassal was a ruinous perquisite, and 
the superior could give his vassal to whom he pleased. If 
the vassal married without the consent of the superior, it 
involved the forfeiture of the estate. The vassal could 
only purchase a right to marry whom he pleased. It was 
the rule that the heir should not be married to his dispar- 
agement ; but this rule was overlooked in the violence of 
the times. The vassal had no relief but in remonstrance. 

When the lord exercised his authority over his female 
ward he paid no heed to her affections and made her sub- 
mit to embraces unsanctioned by love. It was a means of 
oppression and ferocious cruelty. Her beauty was to lose 
its sweetness, and her heart its enjoyment, to gratify avarice. 
Her relations had to buy from the tyrant exemption from 
his unfeeling exactions and base demands. 

The aid^ the vassal bestowed out of benevolence, to re- 
Heve the distress, to assist the grandeur of his lord, became 
a burden, a tax, a misery, and enforced as a duty. Aids 
were required on the most frivolous pretenses. When the 
crown or lord was disposed to be oppressive, they could 
find a reason for an aid, which was to affect everv mo- 
ment the subsistence of the vassal. 

Cowardice, dishonor, treachery, or treason, were causes 
for escheat. With the progress of time lesser delinquencies, 
disagreements, trespasses, and trifles, were to multiply and 
be causes of forfeiture of the fief. If the vassal refused to 
attend the court of the superior, or take the oath of fealty ; 
or infringe the oath ; or if he foresaw any act or misfortune 
that was to befall his lord, and not inform him ; if he should 
make love to his wife or daughter, caress his unmarried sis- 
ter; these and other reasons still more absurd, were to for- 



g6 The Laborer; 

feit the estate to the superior, and involve the ruin of the 
vassal and his family. 

These causes were to destroy the cordiality that existed 
between the lord and his vassal. The conditions of the 
fief were still obligatory, and the vassal could not renounce 
his ties without forsaking his importance. His property 
and subsistence fastened him to an enemy, whom he was to 
reverence. The vassal had to do military duties. With a 
cold heart he buckled on his armor, to follow^ with reluc- 
tance, the march of his chief. Of old, it had been the am- 
bition to carry all his strength against an enemy, that he 
might display his own greatness, and add to the magnifi- 
cence of his superior. He now furnished unwillingly the 
assistance that he was bound to give. The fervor that he 
once displayed in advancing the ambitious plans of his lord 
was to cease. 

The contentions between the nobles and his vassals, was 
to work important changes in the structure of human so- 
ciety. The king had often designs of his own to carry out, 
it might be a new conquest, or to gratify splendor and 
magnificence, which would require aids from the nobles, 
the collection of which might be easier with disaffected vas- 
sals. The king, by favoring his nobles' vassals, strength- 
ened his own power, and is the source no doubt of gaining 
uncontrolled power, and a cause of fiefs being hereditary to 
be held by annual rents and taxes, instead of knightservice. 




CHAPTER V. 

PARLIAMENTS AND COMMONS. 

Parliaments a Result of Conquest — The Disputes of Kings and Nobles 
A CAuse OF Parliaments — Origin of the House of Commons — An As- 
sembly OF Men to save Themselves from being Plundered. 

"It is better to be a great statesman than a common thief.'*— Jonathan Wild. 




EUDALISM has displaced barbarism or rude so- 
ciety. Before it was introduced into England the 
rich and the great lived in stone houses, without 
glass in the windows, or plaster on the walls. The sleep- 
ing place was a recess in the wall filled with straw. To 
hide the naked walls, in the Middle Ages the ladies hung 
up tapestry or embroidered cloth. The Bayeux Tapestry, 
is over four hundred feet long. The web is linen while the 
embroidery is woolen. It was worked with a needle, and 
executed with labor and care. This work is attributed to 
Matilda, the wife of William the Norman, and is a series of 
designs, illustrating the events of William's life, and gives 
us battle scenes, rural, and domestic life. Feudalism has 
changed this scene, and given to a few magnificent palaces, 
with papered walls, carpeted floors, frescoed ceilings, carved 
furniture, costly food and wines, waiting servants, grassy 
lawns, and sparkling fountains. These scenes are before 
the worker, and he wishes to possess them ; yet they might 
never have existed had no force been employed, which is 
hunger and want, caused by idlers eating up the food of the 

(97) 



98 The Laborer; 

workers. Hunger and a sight of wealth are powerful mo- 
tives to quicken the energies of man. 

In sight of the glittering mansion are to be seen boys, 
who tie on their rags with ropes, which are all they possess. 
Some of these boys sleep in water pipes, the park roller, and 
in trees.* "A widow, residing in Robert Street, was 
found by some of her neighbors in a starving condition. 
She occupied a room to herself, and she was so far reduced 
in strength, that she could not cook food if she had abun- 
dance. "f To remedy the ills of hfe, men must be taught 
to practice useful labor. Legislation can not abolish the 
evils of life. To prove this it is only necessary to know 
something of the history of legislation, and for what pur- 
pose it was introduced into the world. Many suppose that 
governments are to protect the weak ; they are contrivances 
of men to enrich themselves at the expense of the toiler. 

It was not to be e^^ected that the blood-stained warriors of 
the conqueror could agree among themselves, or they could 
make a subjugated people submit to their unfeeling de- 
mands, hence the necessity of a parliament, which comes 
from the Latin word parley — to talk. 

The original or first institution of parliaments is one of 
these matters that lie far hidden in the Dark Ages of an- 
tiquity. Their tracing out is a thing difficult and uncertain. 
It signifies a place where men meet to settle difficulties. 
King Alfred ordained for a perpetual usage: ^' That these 
councils should meet twice a year, to treat of the govern- 
ment of God's people ; and how they should keep them- 
selves from sin, and live in quiet, and do right." 

There seems in early periods of time to have been a con- 
stant struggle between kings, lords, and the people to gain 
the ascendancy. This same disposition still exists. In 

■^ London paper, -j- Cincinnati Commercial, of January 17th, 1867 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 99 

many countries the king rules without assembling parlia- 
ments. His word is law, from which there can be no appeal. 
The nobles are turbulent, and think themselves as good as 
the king, and they do not submit willingly to his authority. 
They court the good-will of the people to match the king. 
The king, on the other hand, grants the people all the fa- 
vors he can so as to be able to rule the nobles. Parliaments 
are only compromises between kings and nobles to plunder 
the people, aided by unprincipled men who desert from the 
class that keep the race from perishing by useful labors. 
It is the soldiers and policemen that keep the people from 
ruling and obtaining the happiness that is their due. 

William at first tried to rule his people without parlia- 
ments. His wars in Normandy required money, and the 
tenure upon which land was held was not suificient to fur- 
nish supplies. This compelled William to call a meeting of 
his barons to obtain money from them. 

In America, the land of freedom, is to be seen and felt 
the spirit of feudalism, which makes men so unequal in 
their condition. Look at Astor, his income is $3,000 a day. 
A farm laborer has to work six years to earn this sum, and 
it will take him fifteen years to save this amount. Another 
evidence of the spirit of feudalism among us, is to see, in 
large cities men, wearing a livery^ with clubs in their hands. 
Another evidence is to see a large stone jail with a victim 
suspended on a gallows, to atone for a fault that would not 
have happened had better circumstances been thrown in 
his pathway. The miseries of mankind arise from a few 
growing rich, doing nothing and lessening the clothing and 
food of others who are industrious. Had the Fathers of 
the Revolution given to those who were willing to settle 
the uncultivated lands, a hundred acres and no more, and 
only to the cultivators, the painful contrasts that we see 



100 The Laborer; 

in human society would not have been known or even felt. 

This pleasing description of a colony shows that a com- 
munity is better without ruHng powers, who eat up the sub- 
stance of the people and cause crime. "It was in 1604, 
that the French settled in Acadia, [opposite the state of 
Maine,] four years before they had built the smallest hut in 
Canada. Instead of fixing toward the east of the penin- 
sula, where they could have had plenty of cod, they chose 
the Bay of Fundy. It is probable that the founders chose 
this situation on account of furs. At their first arrival in 
Acadia they found the peninsula peopled with savages, who 
were called Abenakies, and they were sociable in their man- 
ners, and became enthusiasts in religion. Whenever hos- 
tilities took place between England and France, the penin- 
sula was attacked and ransacked by the New Englanders. 

No magistrate was ever appointed to rule over them. 
No rents or taxes were ever exacted from them."^ Their lands 
yielded wheat, rye, oats, barley, maize, and potatoes. The 
meadows were covered with numerous flocks. Sixty thou- 
sand head of horned cattle were computed to be there ; and 
most of the families had horses, though the tillage was car- 
ried on with oxen. 

The habitations, built entirely of wood, were extremely 
convenient, and furnished as neatly as any farm-house in 
Europe. The people bred a great deal of poultry of all the 
kinds, which made a wholesome varietv in their food, which 
was in general wholesome and abundant. Their common 
drink was beer and cider. Their clothing was, in general, 
the produce of their own flax and fleeces. With these they 
made common linens and coarse cloths. Articles of lux- 

■^ This picture of happiness was universal over the colonies. Criminals, or 
poor people were hard to find ; the change may be attributed to the introduc- 
tion of the National Government. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. loi 

ury they procured from Annapolis, in exchange for corn, 
cattle, or furs. The French had no articles to dispose of 
among their neighbors, and still fewer exchanges among 
themselves, because each separate family was able, and 
had been used to provide for its wants. They, therefore, 
knew nothing of paper currency, which was so common in 
the rest of North America. Even the small quantity of 
specie which had stolen into the colony, did not promote 
that circulation which is the greatest advantage that can 
be derived from it. 

"Their manners were extremely simple. There never 
was a cause, either civil or criminal, of enough importance 
to be carried before the court of judicature* established at 
Annapolis, Whatever little differences arose from time 
to time among them, were amicably adjusted by their elders. 
All their public acts were drawn by their pastors, who had 
likewise the keeping of their wills, for which, and their re- 
ligious services, the inhabitants gave them a twenty-seventh 
part of their harvests. 

"There was a sufficiency to fulfill every act of liberality. 
Real misery was entirely unknown, and benevolence prevented 
the demands of poverty. Every misfortune was relieved, as 
it were, before it could be felt ; and good was universa .ly 
dispensed, without ostentation on the part of the giver, and 
without humiliating the person who received it. These 
people were, in a word, a society of brethren, every indi- 
vidual of which was equally ready to give and receive what 
he thought the common right of mankind. 

" So perfect a harmony naturally prevented all those con- 
nections of gallantry which are so often fatal to the peace 
of families. There never was an instance in this society 

■^ This court was established by the English, to whom the French nation 
ceded Acadia. This virtuous people had no use for courts. 

10 



102 The Laborer; 

of an unlawful commerce between the two sexes. This 
evil was prevented by early marriages ; for no one passed his 
youth in a state of celibacy. As soon as the young man came 
to the proper age the community built him a house, broke 
up the lands about it, sowed them, and supplied him with all 
the necessaries of life for twelve months. Here he received 
the partner he had chosen, and who brought him her por- 
tion in flocks. This new family grew and prospered like 
the others. They all together numbered 18,000 souls. 

^' Who will not be affected with the innocent manners 
and the tranquillity of this fortunate colony ? Who will not 
WMsh for the duration of its happiness ? Who will not con- 
struct, in imagination, an impenetrable wall, that may separ- 
ate these colonists from their unjust and turbulent neigh- 
bors ? The calamities of the people may have no period ; 
but, on the contrary the end of their felicity is always at 
hand. A long series of favorable events is necessary to 
raise them from misery, while one instant is sufficient to 
plunge them into it. May the Acadians be excepted from 
this general curse ! but, alas ! it is to be feared that they 
will not. 

"Great Britain perceived, in 1749, of what consequence 
the possession of Acadia might be to her commerce. The 
peace furnished an opportunity by the disbanding of the 
troops for cultivating a vast territory. The British min- 
istry offered particular advantages to all who chose to go 
over and settle in Acadia. Every soldier, sailor, and work- 
man was to have fifty acres for himself and ten for each 
of his family — the land to be tax free for ten years. The 
government found a passage, built a house, gave imple- 
ments of industry, and subsistence for a year. These en- 
couragements determined 3,750 persons to go to America. 
These new inhabitants founded Halifax, in 1749. Some 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 103 

disturbances began to break out among the neutral French. 
These people, whose manners were so simple, and who en- 
joyed such liberty, had already perceived that their inde- 
pendence must necessarily suffer from encroachments from 
anv power that should turn its views to the countries they 
inhabited. To this apprehension was added that of seeing 
their religion in danger. This determined the happy Ameri- 
can colony to quit their habitations and remove to New 
France, where lands were offered them. This resolution 
many of them executed immediately ; the rest prepared to 
follow as soon as they had provided for their safety. 

"This the English government either from policy or ca- 
price, determined to prevent by an act of treachery — a 
base and cruel course in those whose power gives them an 
opportunity of pursuing milder methods. Under a pretense 
of exacting a renewal of the oath which they had taken at 
the time of their becoming English subjects, they called to- 
gether all the remaining inhabitants, and put them on board 
of a ship. They were conveyed to the other English colo- 
nies, where the greater part of them died of grief. 

" Such are the effects of national jealousies, and the ra- 
pacity of governments^ to which men as well as theh' property^ 
becomes a prey. Can it be said after this, that policy and 
society were instituted for the happiness of mankind ? They 
were instituted to screen the wicked^ and to secure the 
powerful,^' * 

Hume, in his History of England, says : " Feudalism was 
a huge fabric, which for several centuries preserved such a 
mixture of liberty and oppression, order and anarchy, sta- 
bility and revolution as was never experienced before — a 
system to secure conquests against the revolt of numerous 
subjects and tribes. The prince was nothing but a great 

Abbe Raynal's History of the Settlement of the West Indies, Vol. V, p. 3 50. 



104 The Laborer; 

chieftain, who derived his power on account of his nobility 
or valor, and from the attachment of other chiefs. He 
seized the conquered lands, and kept a large share for him- 
self. To support his dignity he granted lands to his chiefs ; 
these made a new partition among their retainers, under 
the name of fiefs, on condition they take the field in defense 
of the nation. The conquerors separated that they might 
enjoy their new acquisition. They soon became attached 
to their lands and made improvements. To lose their pos- 
session, to be expelled for not submitting to another's will, 
made them wish for a change, so as the family could not 
be left to want by death. Fiefs were made hereditary in 
families, and descended to sons, grandsons, brothers, and 
more distant relations. The idea of property stole gradu- 
ally upon that of military pay ; and each century m.ade some 
additions to the stability of fiefs. 

"In all these changes the chief was supported by his vas- 
sals — by constant intercourse and friendship, arising from 
dependence, they followed their leader against all his ene- 
mies. The authority of the sovereign gradually decayed ; 
and each noble, assisted by his vassals in his own territory, 
became too powerful to be expelled by an order from the 
throne. 

" The king, therefore, when he found it necessary to de- 
mand any service of his chief tenants or barons, beyond 
what was due by their tenures, was obliged to assemble 
them, in order to obtain their consent. The question was 
discussed and decided among them. In these two circum- 
stances of consent and advice consisted chiefly the civil 
services of the ancient barons, and these implied all the 
considerable incidents of government. No momentous af- 
fairs could be transacted without their consent or advice, it 
gave security to their possessions and dignitaries. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 105 

''The barons had their courts, and presided hke the king 
over the nobles. It was requisite to assemble the vassals, 
in order to determine by their vote any question which re- 
garded the barony ; and they sat along with the chief in all 
his trials, whether civil or criminal, which occurred within 
the limits of their jurisdiction. The vassals were bound to 
pay suit at the court of their baron ; and as their tenure 
was considered honorable, because military, they were ad- 
mitted into his society and shared his friendship. Thus 
was a kingdom considered a great barony, and a barony as 
a small kingdom. The barons were peers to each other in 
the national council^ and in some degree companions to the 
king. The vassals were peers to each other in the court of 
barony, and companions to their barons. 

" The vassal fell under greater subordination to the baron 
than the baron under the sovereign, which tended to aug- 
ment the power of the nobles. The great chief fortifying 
his country seat, lost a part of his acquaintance with the 
prince, and added new force to his authority over the vas- 
sals of his barony. They received a military education at 
his hand, hospitality in his hall, retainers on his person, 
and partakers of his sports and amusements. Their ambition 
was gratified by a position in his train, his favor was their 
honor, his displeasure was ignominy, and he was their pro- 
tection in controversies with other vassals, and in the daily 
inroads and injuries of other barons. 

''The feudal government was destructive of the security 
and independence of other members of the state. A great 
part were serfs and lived in a state of absolute villainage or 
slavery. The other inhabitants of the country paid their 
rents in services, which were in a great measure arbitrary, 
and they could get no redress of injuries, in a court of 
barony, from men who had no right to tyrannize and oppress 



io6 The Laborer; 

them. The barons lived in rustic plenty, and gave no en- 
couragement to the arts or elaborate manufactories. Every 
profession w^as held in contempt but that of arms. The 
industrious and opulent merchant v^as often exposed to in- 
jury from the envy of the nobles. 

^^The great baron always was submissive to the prince, 
so that he might have resource to him if necessary in exact- 
ing submission from his own vassals. Adherence to the 
crown protected from injury and powerful neighbors, and 
promoted the execution of more general and equal laws. 
The people had a still stronger interest to desire the gran- 
deur of the sovereign — the king being the legal magis- 
trate, who suffered by every internal convulsion, and who 
regarded the great nobles as his immediate rivals. The 
king assumed the salutary office of general guardian, or pro- 
tector of the commons. Besides the prerogatives with which 
the law invested him, his large demesnes and numerous re- 
tainers rendered him in one sense the greatest baron in the 
kingdom and the fountain of law and justice. 

"What preserved the first Norman kings from the en- 
croachments of the barons was, they were generals and 
had to secure themselves from the revolt of the numerous 
natives, whom they had bereaved of all their properties and 
privileges. William and his immediate successors were 
absolute ; it was lost as soon as the Norman barons began 
to incorporate with the nation, to acquire a security in their 
possessions, and to fix their influence over their vassals, 
tenants, and slaves. The immense fortunes which the 
Conqueror had bestowed on his chief captains, served to 
support their independence, and to make them formidable 
to the sovereign. 

"William gave to Hugh de Abrinces, the county of 
Chester, and rendered \)[s grant almost independent of the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 107 

crown. The Earl of Montaigne had 937 manors; Earl of 
Brittany 442 ; Odo Bishop of Bayieux 439 ; Bishop of 
Constance 280 ; Earl of Buckingham 107; Earl of War- 
renne 298. These are only a few who had princely reve- 
nues. It was difficult to retain them as subjects. Earl of 
Warrenne, in a subsequent reign, was questioned on the 
right to his lands, drew his sword, which he produced as his 
title; adding that William did not conquer the kingdom 
himself, but that the barons, and his ancestor among the 
rest, were joint adventurers in the enterprise. 

^^The executive power of the government was in the 
king. The stated meetings of the Council or Parliament 
was at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide. The king 
could summon them together at any time, the whole judi- 
cial* power was in his hands, and was exercised by officers 
and ministers of his appointment. 

"The general plan of the Norman government was, that 
the court of baronyf was appointed to decide controversies 
between vassals. The hundred or county court J could 
judge subjects of different baronies — the king's court to 
give sentence among the barons themselves. The king of- 
ten sat in his court, heard causes, and gave decisions. The 
various courts that now exist have sprung from these. 

" From the two lower courts there could be appeals to 
the king's court, and by that means the administration of 
justice was brought into the hands of the sovereign. And, 
lest the expense of the journey or trouble to court should 
discourage suitors, and make them acquiesce in the decis- 
ions of the inferior judicatures, itinerating judges were ap- 

* Judicial, what pertains to a court of justice, or the distribution of justice. 

j- Court-Baron, a baron's court, or manor court. The lord was the judge. 

J CountyCourt, a court limited to a county, and its powers are now the 
statutes of the land. County, the territory of a count or earl. Now a partic- 
ular part of a state or kingdom, set apart for the administration of justice. 



io8 The Laborer; 

pointed, who -made circuits throughout the kingdom, and 
tried all causes brought before them. The lawyers gradu- 
ally brought all business before the king's judges."* 

The Norman kings made considerable progress in gradu- 
ally getting revenues. There were eighteen sources of rev- 
enue, many of which have passed away, and the king is de- 
pendent for support on the people, through the Parliament. 
First source of revenue was the crown lands, which were 
very extensive. Second source of revenue was the charge 
of the temporalities of the bishops. Third^ was a pension 
from every abbey founded by royal benevolence. Fourth^ 
was the first-fruits and tenths of all spiritual preferments. 
Fi/th^rcnts of manors. Sixth^ purveying which means when 
the king went on a journey he sent out purveyorsf to levy 
on provisions for himself and household. As this led to 
abuses. Charles I had it commuted to fifteen pence on 
every barrel of beer that was. brewed in the kingdom, on 
him and his heirs forever. Seventh^ on licenses for selling 
wine. This was commuted to ^£7,000 a year by statute of 
Geo. II. Eighth^ was from timber in forests. Ninth^ was 
from courts of justice. Tenth^ the royal fish, which are 
the whale and sturgeon, thrown ashore or caught near the 
shore ; this was granted on consideration of protecting the 
coast from robbers and pirates. The remaining sources of 
revenues were a right to mines, wrecked ships, forfeited 
goods, treasure-trove, J waifs, estrays, estates that have no 
heirs, the care of the estates of minor lords. The present 
sovereign gets <£ 900,000 a year, which is collected by the 
House of Commons who, a century and a half ago, rented 
the crown lands, or rather gave them away on very easy 

* See article Feudalism, Hume's History of England. 

+ Purveyor, an officer who used to exact, or provide the king with food. 

JTreasure-Trove, money found hidden in the earth, the owner unknown. 




This boy has now become an adopted son, and has abundant leisure to destroy 
labor he never created. He visits a hospital, it may be to stifle his conscience, 
which upbraids him for not assisting those who sustain him, for not enduring the 
summer's heat and winter's cold. "Bear ye one another's burdens," is a com- 
mand which we truly observe when we share with those who do them — the se- 
vere duties of life. Lord Oliphant convinced of the injustice of being supported 
by others' labor, left the pleasurers of his English home, his country's honors, and 
united with a body of co-religionists on the banks of Lake Erie, where he plows 
and wears home-spun. If all will practice this, hospitals for sick will be unknown. 

5 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. log 

terms. The means used to collect the royal salary is now 
called the extraordinary revenues^ and are raised by aids^ sub- 
sidies^ * and supplies . f 

The king was never contented with the stated rents, but 
levied heavy talliages J at his pleasure, both on the inhabi- 
tants of the town and country. He pretended to exact tolls 
on goods sold in the market ; he took two hogsheads of wine 
from every vessel that imported it — all goods paid to his 
customs a part of their value. A passage over a bridge or 
river was loaded with tolls. The king exacted money for 
the renewal of charters, and the people were held in per- 
petual dependence. 

The barons were exposed to the inroads of power, 
against which they had no security. The Conqueror or- 
dained that the barons should pay nothing beyond their 
stated services, except a reasonable aid to ransom his person 
if he were taken in war, to make his oldest son a knight, or 
to marry his eldest daughter. What should on these oc- 
casions be deemed a reasonable aid, was not determined, 
and the demands of the crown were discretionary. 

The king could in war require the personal attendance 
of his vassals, and if they declined the service, they were 
obliged to pay him a composition in money, which was 
called a scutage,% This sum, was during some reigns, preca- 
rious and uncertain; it was sometimes levied without allow- 
ing the vassal the usual liberty of personal service; and it 
was an artifice of the king to pretend to an expedition, that 
he might be entitled to levy the scutage from his military 
tenants. This tax was one, two, or three marks for every 

* Subsidy, aid in money, a tax to assist a prince in place of personal service 
•[• Supplies, money granted by English Parliaments for public expenditures. 
\ Talliage, to cut off, to share, a tax or toll on the people for the king, 
2 Scutage, a contribution from the knights toward furnishing the army. 



no The Laborer; 

knight's fee [a mark is 13s. 4d.] Henry III, for his voy- 
age to the Holy Land^ had a scutage of three marks for 
every knight's fee. This word comes from scutum, a shield, 
and was a sum paid by the knight to the king so as he 
could hire soldiers to fill his place. Moneyage was a tax 
levied by the two first Norman kings on hearth-stones. 
It was a shilling each, and was given to the king to induce 
him not to use his prerogative to debase the money. These 
taxes were so heavy, that William of Malmesbury tells us 
the reign of William Rufus, the farmers abandoned tillage, 
and a famine ensued. 

The escheats were a great source of profit, especially 
during the first reigns after the conquest. In default of 
posterity from the first baron, his land reverted to the crown, 
and continually augmented the king's possessions. The 
prince had the power of alienating these escheats. By this 
means he had opportunities of establishing the fortunes of 
his friends and servants, and thereby enlarging his author- 
ity. Sometimes he retained these estates in his own hands. 
If the vassal was summoned thrice to attend his superior's 
court ; and refused obedience, he forfeited all title to his 
lands. Denying his tenure, refusing his services, selling 
his right to his fief without liberty, adhering to his lord's 
enemies, deserting him in battle, betraying his secrets, de- 
bauching his wife, being found guilty of rape, murder, and 
arson, he lost his fief. The king had the right to detain his 
possession, spoil and destroy it, till the baron paid a reason- 
able compensation. The vassal's possession was precarious. 

When the baron died the king took possession of his es- 
tate ; the heir made application for it, by doing homage and 
paying a fine. This practice was founded on the notion 
that the fief was a benefice, and the superior was to be paid 
out of it till the heir became of age. By this means landed 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. iu 

property was continually in the hands of the prince, and 
noble families were dependent on him. He could enrich a 
favorite at another's expense. Simon de Monfort paid 
Henry HI 10,000 marks, for the wardship of Gilbert de 
Umfreville. Geoffry de Mandeville paid 20,000 marks 
[$60,000,] that he might marry the Countess of Glouces- 
ter, and possess all her lands and knight's fees. 

If the heir was a female, the king could offer her any 
husband he thought proper of her own rank ; if she refused 
she forfeited her lands. Even a male heir could not marry 
without the royal consent ; and it was usual to pay large 
sums for the privilege of making a choice. None could 
sell lands without the consent of the superior, who held it 
at will. . In course of time these lands became allodial^ or 
subject to an annual tax. 

Fines were sources of royal revenues. Records are pre- 
served giving an account of the fines levied in those days. 
The ancient kings of England were like the barbarous east- 
ern princes, whom no man must approach without a pres- 
ent. Permission was purchased to carry on business, and 
also to extort money. Justice was bought and sold ; the 
king's court was not open to those who did not bring pres- 
ents. The county of Norfolk, and the boroughf of Yar- 
mouth paid money that they might be fairly dealt with. 
Richard, son of Gilbert, paid the king for helping him to 
recover his debts from the Jews; Serlo, son of Terlarston, 
paid that he might be permitted to make a defense, if he 
was accused of homicide. Robert de Essart, paid for an 
inquest to find out if Robert the butcher accused him of 
robbery out of envy. 

^ Allodium, lands alio tted or portioned off, and owned by the cultivator. 

j- Borough, a hill, or fortified town. In Saxon times an association of ten 
men, who were pledged to the king for the good behavior of each other, and 
was called a tithing. Ten of these associations formed a hundred, or a county. 



112 The Laborer; 

Sometimes litigants ofFered the king a half, or a fourth, 
out of debts, which he as the executor of justice might help 
to recover. Theophania de Westland agreed to pay the 
half of 212 marks that she might recover from James de 
Fughleston. Solomon the Jew gave one mark out of seven 
that he should recover out of Hugh de la Hose. 

The king was paid for a permission to exercise any in- 
dustry. Hugh Oisel paid 400 marks for liberty to trade in 
England. Nigel de Haven gave fifty marks for a partner- 
ship in merchandise with Gervase de Hanton. Some men 
of Worcester paid 100 shillings, that they might have the 
liberty of selling fine, dyed cloth. The whole kingdom was 
under the control of the king. He created guilds,* corpora- 
tions, f and monoplies wherever he pleased, and levied sums 
for these exclusive privileges. 

There was no profit so small as to be below the king's 
notice. Henry, son of Arthur, gave ten dogs, to have an 
acknowledgment from the Countess of Copland. Walter le 
Madine gave two Norman hawks that he might have leave 
to export a hundred weight of cheese out of the king's do- 
minions. The wife of Hugh de Neville gave two hundred 
hens for a visit to her husband. It is supposed he was in 
prison. The abbot of Ruckford paid ten marks for leave 
to erect houses and place men on his land, to secure his 
wood from being stolen. Hugh, the archdeacon of Wells, 
gave a tun of wine for leave to carry 600 sums of corn 
wherever he would. Peter de Peraris gave twenty marks 
for leave to salt fishes. 

The eldest son and widow of Hugh Bigond, a nobleman, 
came to the court of Henry H and ofFered him large pres- 

^ Guilds, companies of men carrying on some pursuit particularly commerce. 

These were licensed by the king, and governed by their own laws and orders. 

t Corporations, societies acting like one man in the transaction of buisness. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 113 

ents to obtain her inheritance. The king ordered the case 
to be tried by the great council ; but, in the meantime, he 
seized all the treasure and money of the deceased. Fines 
were not limited by law, and the person on whom they 
were imposed was frequently ruined. The forest laws 
were a great source of oppression. The king possessed 
sixty-eight forests, thirteen chases^ and seven hundred parks, 
in different parts of England, in which the people were al- 
lured to hunt, and then punished by having their eyes put 
out. This was Norman law. 

The Jews were out of the protection of the law, they 
were abandoned to the rapacity of the king and his minis- 
ters. It appears they were all at once thrown into prison, 
and the sum of 60,000 marks was exacted for their liberty. 
Henry III borrowed 4,000 marks from the Earl of Corn- 
wall ; and for his repayment consigned to him all the Jews 
in England. There was a particular kind of Exchequer 
set apart for managing revenue derived from the Jews. 

Sir Henry Spellman says: "During the reign of the first 
Norman kings, every edict that came from them, with the 
consent of their private council, had the full force of law." 
It appears that the constitution had not fixed any precise 
boundaries to the royal power; that the right to issue pro- 
clamations on any emergency, and of exacting obedience 
to them — a right which was always supposed inherent in 
the crown — is very difficult to be distinguished by legisla- 
tive authority. The extreme imperfections of the ancient 
laws, and sudden exigencies that have often occurred in 
such turbulent governments, obliged the prince to exert fre- 
quently the latent powers of his prerogative — that he natur- 
ally proceeded from the acquiescence of the people, to as- 
sume in many particulars of moment, an authority from 
which he had excluded himself by express statutes, char- 



114 The Laborer; 

ters, or concessions, which was repugnant to the personal 
liberty of his subjects. It appears from the great Charter 
itself, that John, Richard, and Henry, were accustomed, 
from their sole authority, without process of law, to imprison, 
banish, and attaint"^ the freemen of the kingdom. 

A great baron in ancient times considered himself as a 
kind of sovereign within his territory ; and was attended by 
courtiers and dependents more zealously attached to him 
than ministers of state. He often maintained in his court 
the parade of royalty, by establishing courts over which he 
presided with constables, f marshals, J and chancellors. § 
He was assiduous in his jurisdiction. || Delighting in the 
image of sovereignty, it was necessary to restrain his activ- 
ity, and keep him from holding his courts too frequently. 
The example of his prince in mercenary extortion was fre- 
quently copied, his justice and injustice was frequently put 
to sale. He had the power, with the king's consent to 
exact talliages even from the free citizens who lived in his 
barony; and his necessities made him rapacious; his au- 
thority was often found to be more oppressive and tyran- 
nical than that of the sovereign. He was ever engaged in 
hereditary or personal animosities or confederacies with his 

■^ Attaint, stained, blackened, a person in this condition was not considered 
lit to live, but to be exterminated from the earth. From the word attinctus. 

•j- Constable, an officer of high rank in the middle ages, the seventh in rank 
to the crown. A judge in chivalry, of deeds of arms, combats, and blazonry. 

J Marshal, the chief officer in arms, whose duty it is to regulate combats, 
rank and order at a feast, or assembly, directs the king's processions and feasts. 

^ Chancellor, the highest crown officer, he has judicial power, the keeping 
of the king's conscience, seal, charters, and writings of the crown. He is the 
private counselor of the House of Lords, appointer of all the justices of peace, 
visitor of all hospitals and colleges founded by the king, a guardian of the 
public charities, and a judge of the high Court of Chancery. Enough to do, 

II Jurisdiction, a power to hear complaints, execute laws, and distribute 
justice. Jurisdiction is limited to a particular place or territory, and persons. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 115 

neighbors, and often gave protection to desperate adven- 
turers and criminals, who could be useful in serving his vio- 
lent purposes. He was able alone in times of tranquillity, 
to obstruct the execution of justice within his territories ; 
and, by combining with a few malcontent barons of high 
rank and power, he could throw a state into convulsions. 
Though the royal authority was confined within narrow 
bounds, yet the check was often irregular and frequently 
the scenes of great disorders ; nor was it derived from the 
liberty of the people, but from the military power of many 
tyrants, who were equally dangerous and oppressive to the 
subjects. 

The concessions of the Great Charter gave birth, by 
degrees, to a new species of government, and introduced 
some order and justice into the administration. The Great 
Charter contained no new establishment of new courts, 
magistrates, senates, or abolition of the old. It introduced 
no new distribution of the powers of the commonwealth, 
and no innovation in the political or public law of the king- 
dom. It only guarded, and that merely by verbal clauses, 
against such tyrannical practices as are incompatible with 
civilized governments. The barbarous license of the kings, 
and perhaps of the nobles, was thenceforth more restrained. 
Men acquired more security for their property and liberties, 
and governments approached a little nearer to the distribu- 
tion of justice and the protection of citizens. Acts of vio- 
lence and iniquity in the crown, which before were only 
deemed injurious to individuals, and were hazardous chiefly 
in proportion to the number, power, and dignity, of the per- 
sons affected by them, were now regarded as public injuries 
in some degree, and as an infringement of a charter calcu- 
lated for general security. The establishment of the Great 
Charter was an improvement in the distribution of political 



ii6 The Laborer; 

power, the source of a mighty change in the customs and 
usages of society, and in the constitution of England. 

There was a struggle between the king and his barons 
for supreme power for one hundred and fifty years after 
the conquest. The introduction of the Magna Charta 
made the Parliament the source of power instead of the 
king. It is very doubtful if this change has been of any 
benefit to the toiling classes, except to introduce a more 
systematic method of plundering them. That a number 
of men in gay robes, with high sounding names, in a gor- 
geous room, sitting in stalls and on woolsacks — that these 
should do any thing to lessen the labor of working people 
is not to be expected. Many of the customs and usages 
of the conquest are still in existence. 

The House of Commons comes from the lower classes, 
who lived in the boroughs and towns. These were told to 
send deputies to tell how much they were worth under an 
oath, and then grant aids to the king in his wars, and then 
go home and collect them. These were forced or sum- 
moned by the sheriffs* when they came with their aids, re- 
liefs^ presents^ and benevolences. They asked for relief from 
the wrongs they suffered at the hands of the barons. 

Before the time of the Stuarts the House of Commons 
was summoned at the pleasure of the king, or w^hen an aid 
was wanted. Deputies were to assess scutages and talliages, 
not to make laws, that was a branch of the royal preroga- 
tive, and exercised by the summary process of proclamation, 
not by illiterate burgesses, whom it was assumed might be 
adepts in the mysteries of trade, and not sufficiently learned 
for the high task of legislation. The first members went 
with reluctance, and received wages for their unpleasant 

* Sheriff, an officer appointed by the king, to execute the laws in an earl- 
dom or county j once a collector of the king's revenue — a shire-reeve. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 117 

duty. All sorts of evasions were practiced to avoid sending 
representatives to the Parliament; some pleaded poverty, 
others their insignificance, and the honorable members were 
often constrained by force to appear at Westminster or Ox- 
ford, or other places of royal residence. The whole pro- 
ceeding was analogous to what takes place in a city taken 
by storm. The victorious general calls together the inhab- 
itants not to make laws for the government of the town, 
'^but to determine how great a sum they will give to save them- 
selves from pillage. And so it continued till the advent of 
Hampden, Pym, Hollis, Elliott, and other master minds, who 
claimed for the Commons a nobler and more independent 
vocation. 

It is, however, a contrivance to get out of the toiling 
classes of Great Britain the annual sum of $400,000,000. 
It takes from him who labors the fruits of his labor, and 
gives it to him who will not labor. 

To trace the gradual evolution of the several parts of the 
English constitution; to show how the executive, legislative, 
and judicial power were blended and clumsily executed, 
and how they became separated, defined, and secured in the 
exercise of their respective functions by ages of conflict and 
trial, is a curious and pleasing subject of study and inquiry. 
It is the progress of man from rudeness to an abundance 
of comforts in the hands of a few. The progress of society 
has been like the reclaiming of a waste country, by the em- 
bankment of its rivers, the draining of its morasses, the 
cleaning out of the beasts of prey, and other operations by 
which it is brought into a state of security and productive- 
ness. Divesting ourselves of the illusions of antiquity, it 
is impossible to conceal that the government for a long 
period was a simple despotism, occasionally controlled by 
the interference of the nobility and clergy. The first 



ii8 The Laborer; 

regular approach to constitutional rule was the grant of the 
Magna Charta. Doubtless the concessions extorted by the 
barons at Runnymede were in their own favor; but it also 
contained provisions which were a guide and a sanction for 
future and more general claims of freedom. The adoption 
of such an instrument denotes a progression in human so- 
ciety. A division of political power between two orders in 
the state had been formally recognized, and the idea of pre- 
scribing their respective immunities by law shows the time 
may come when they will be dispensed with altogether. 

Many parts of the great charter were pointed against the 
abuses of the power of the king as lord paramount. But it 
contains a few maxims of just governments, applicable to 
all places and times. For almost five centuries it was ap- 
pealed to as decisive authority on the people's behalf, though 
commonly so far only as the necessities of the case re- 
quired. This continued in fashion till within a few years ; 
but the pubHc taste has altered, and it is more common for 
reformers to refer to principles of utility than to constitu- 
tional authorities.* 

From the time of King John to that of Charles I, the 
constitution of England underwent no change of impor- 
tance, the power of the several parts of which it consisted 
was the subject of contention, but it was not fixed or ma- 
terially altered by any public act. Important movements 
have taken place among the people, and the silent influence 
of the commonality had encroached on the acts of the no- 
bility. Vassalage has been exterminated. Manufactures 
have extended and flourished. Domestic comforts and 
great luxuries are in the sight of alLf 

What are the causes that made Gov. Hammond, on the 
Senate's floor of the "The Great Republic" say: "Your 

•^Macintosh's History of England, Vol. I, p. 22. f See Hume's England. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 119 

daily laborers are at best but slaves." It is because the in- 
stitutions of the land are so contrived that a few can obtain 
from the many, unceasingly and unobserved, large quanti- 
ties of human labor without an equivalent. The reason is, 
we follow too much after the civil institutions of other 
lands. These institutions have been brought about in this 
manner : From the shores of the Baltic there came forth 
a race of Sea Kings who lived in their ships, and went to 
plundering wherever they could get a landing. They were 
a very great terror to the sea-coast inhabitants of Europe. 
Those who were in fear of invasion had to devise means of 
self-defense, which was called a government. When the 
invaders got possession of a country they instituted a gov- 
ernment also, which has continued to this day. Those who 
laid the foundations of a civil state were pirates by profes- 
sion, pagans in religion, men of ferocity, and dauntless 
courage. They made two agreements — one was we will 
plunder the people. This has been faithfully observed, and is 
still observed. The second part of the agreement was not to 
plunder each other. Kings have laid gradually exactions 
on the nobles, who have re-laid them on their vassals. The 
various names that used to be given to the sources of rev- 
enue have become ^^ rents" and "taxes." The villains 
and vassals have become mechanics and laborers. 

Changes have been made in the social condition of men 
at first the king ruled absolute, then a part of his power was 
taken away by the nobles. The priests exercised a sway 
over the nobility. Their power was broken at the time of 
Henry VIII. These were succeeded by courtiers and court 
gallants, who have used an influence over the ruling powers. 
From the time of William III to the present, England has 
been influenced by policy rulers, or political economists. 
The laborers of England are now associating themselves to- 



120 The Laborer; 

gether to get the necessaries of life at cost price, without 
employing merchants. In many cases the workmen are 
partners in the workshops and mines in which they labor. 
These facts indicate that the laborer will soon displace the 
other classes and rule. 

Lord Kames,in his History of Man says : " Had the Nor- 
wegians known agriculture in the tenth century, they would 
not have ventured their lives in frail vessels upon a tempes- 
tuous ocean, in order to distress nations who were not their 
enemies. But hunger is a cogent motive; and it gave to 
these pirates superiority in arms above every nation that en- 
joyed plenty at home. Luckily such depredations must 
have their intervals; as they necessarily occasion great ha- 
voc among the victors. Agriculture, fixes a people to a 
spot, is an obstacle to migration, puts an end to a scourge, 
more destructive than a pestilence. It gives occupation and 
subsistence at home ; it affords plenty of food." 

William Walker thought in Nicaragua "That society 
was worn out, and they needed a new organization, and it 
would furnish certain labor to the negro." He chartered 
a vessel in California, and left in May, 1856, with fifty -eight 
passengers. On landing he began to levy contributions, this 
led to a conflict — six were killed and twelve wounded. He 
would have succeeded if the English warships had let him 
alone. If he had become chief ruler he could have used 
this language : '-'•Dear people, I will establish justice, maintain 
order among you, and give you splendor and magnificence." 





CHAPTER VI. 

CITIES AND TOWNS. 

Feudalism the Cause of the Growth of Cities — A Place for Escaping 

Slaves Cities are necessary to Improve Men — Hanseatic Towns — • 

North American Review on Cities — Suffering in Cities. 

** When we are piled on each other in large cities, as they are in Europe, we 
shall become corrupt, and go to eating each other.*' — Thomas Jefferson. 

FTER the fall of the Rpman Empire the inhabi- 
tants of cities and towns were not any more fa- 
vored than those of the country. They were, in- 
deed, of a very different order of people from the first in- 
habitants of the ancient republics of Greece and Italy, 
These last were composed chiefly of the proprietors of land, 
among whom the public land was divided^ and who found 
it convenient to build their houses in the neighborhood of 
each other, and to surround themselves with a wall for de- 
fense. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the proprie- 
tors of land seem generally to have lived in fortified castles 
on their own estates, and in the midst of their own tenants 
and dependants. The towns were chiefly inhabited by 
tradesmen and mechanics, who seem to have been in a 
servile condition. 

Britain, once a land of savage pagans, was, long after the 
Norman conquest, the abode of ignorance and superstition. 
For centuries past she has been steadily advancing in 
knowledge, civil and religious hberty. Her men of letters 

(121) 



122 The Laborer; 

have sent down to posterity noble works that shall live till 
science, philosophy, and poetry are known no more. Her 
lawyers have gradually worn off the rugged features of the 
feudal system, till the common law of England has been 
adopted as the basis of the American code. Her spiritual 
bastile, the State Church, has yielded to the attacks of non- 
conformity, and opened its gates to a qualified toleration. 
All that was dangerous in the maxim, "-^ The king can do 
no wrong," fell with the head of Charles I, in 1649. A 
class of innovators, called '^Reformers" are still at work 
on the institutions of England. 

Humanity will find ample materials for despair, when 
contemplating the toiling classes condition. But philan- 
trophy will find abundant source of hope in studying the 
character and deeds of their radical reformers. The past 
half century has seen an uprising, of the very substratum 
of society, in a peaceful struggle for inherent rights. No 
force has been employed except the force of circumstan- 
ces ; and the result has been eminently successful. This 
class discovered its strength during the revolution of Ham- 
den and Cromwell, and received an impulse which it has 
never lost. 

The nobility and gentry have too often silenced the 
popular clamor by admitting its leaders to the privileges of 
the "higher orders." Concessions were made to the mid- 
dle men, which strengthened them to demand more. But 
a truth, destined to be all-powerful in the nineteenth cen- 
tury, remained to be discovered, that the condition of the 
lower classes should be ameliorated. The lines which cus- 
tom and intolerance had drawn between men, was to grow 
fainter as the day approached for the full discovery of truth. 
The earthquake shock of the French Revolution overthrew 
a throne rooted to the soil by a growth of a thousand years. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 123 

Britain felt the crash. The people discovered they were 
clothed with divine rights as well as kings. This was not 
expressed in courtly language, or made grateful to royal 
ears. From the conquest of William the Norman, to Vic- 
toria the Saxon, there has been a gradual circumscribing of 
the power of the nobles and prerogatives of the crown. 

Much of all this is to be attributed to the rise and growth 
of cities, which have been fostered by kings and nobles. 
These are often at enmity with each other, and to gain the 
favor of the towns enabled one or the other to gain the as- 
cendancy. A borough is a town and not a city. In its 
original signification it means a company consisting of ten 
families who were pledged to each other. Afterward a 
borough came to signify a walled town, and a place for 
safety. Some of the towns were called free-burghs and the 
tradesmen free-hurgesses^ from a privilege they had to buy 
and sell without disturbance and be exempt from toll. 

These seem to have been very poor people, traveling 
about with goods from one place to another, and from fair 
to fair, as hawkers and peddlers. They paid taxes when 
passing through some of the great lords' manors, going 
over bridges, and for erecting booths or stalls at the fairs. 
These different taxes were known by the names of pas- 
sage,* lastage,f and stallage. J Sometimes the king or a 
great lord, upon some occasions, would grant to particular 
trades, or to such as lived on their own demesnes, a gen- 
eral exemption from such taxes. Such were called '^-free- 

* The most celebrated passage in Europe is the Sound, or the narrow en- 
trance into the Baltic Sea. Here the King of Denmark has the Castle of El- 
sinore, and collects tolls from all nations. The Americans refused to pay the 
tax, this was a source of embarrassment to Denmark, To remit to one na- 
tion it would have to be done to all. The writer can not tell how settled, 

j-Lastage, a duty paid for freight on transportation. 

J Stallage, the right to erect a stall in a fair— the rent for a stall. 



124 The Laborer; 

traders." They in return paid an annual poll-tax^ for the 
protection they received. In those days protection wavS 
seldom granted without a valuable consideration, and the 
tax might be considered as a compensation for what their 
patrons might lose by their exemption. 

The American people, at the beginning of their national 
career, declared '-^ that taxation was tyranny." Their descen« 
dants have learned to submit to taxation very gracefully, 
for the cause of which they are indebted to the great " De- 
mocratic party." It is not improbable the American people 
at this time [1869], pay a fifth part of all they earn for tax- 
ation. Bodin, a writer in 1606, says: "That there can be 
no ground or foundation, with immunity, from subsidies and 
taxes." Many Americans think the same — no existence as 
a nation without taxes. A Roman consul, by levying a 
tax on salt during the Punic war, was nicknamed the saline 
ator. The Arabs exacted presents and gifts from pilgrims 
who were going to Mecca. Louis XI of France, to pur- 
chase a peace of Edward IV, paid annually in London the 
sum of 50,000 crowns, and pensions to the English minis- 
ters. This brought into use the terms pensions and tributes. 

A purveyor was an officer who was to furnish every sort 
of provisions for the royal people during their progresses or 
journeys. His oppressive office was to compel countrymen 
to bring their articles to market, and he fixed their price. 
The officer became odious ; Edward IV changed the name 
to acheteur or buyer. Changing the name did not conceal 
its nature. Levies of money were long raised under the 
pathetic appeal oi benevolences. Edward IV went to France 
with money obtained by this method. He rode about the 
land, and used the people in such a fair manner, that they 
were Hberal in their gifts. Edward was courteous in his 

§ Poll-tax, a tax on those who have heads. Poll, a person's head. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 125 

newly-invented style, and was, besides, the handsomest tax- 
gatherer in the kingdom ! His royal presence was very 
dangerous to the purses of his loyal subjects, particularly 
to those of the females. In his progress, having kissed a 
widow for having contributed a larger sum than was ex- 
pected from her estate, she was so overjoyed at the singu- 
lar honor and delight that she doubled her benevolence, 
and a second kiss ruined, her ! In the succeeding reign of 
Richard III, the term had lost much of its innocence. In 
a speech delivered by the Duke of Buckingham, he said : 
'^ Under the plausible name of benevolences, your goods 
were taken from you very much against your will, as if by 
that name it was understood that every man should pay^ not 
what he pleased, but what the king would have him." A 
benevolence was levied by Richard III. Henry VIII de- 
manded one and did not get it. The people had got it into 
their minds that taxes should not be raised without con- 
sent of parliament ! 

Charles the First had urgent wants. His appeals for be- 
nevolences were unregarded. The custom of voluntary gifts 
was lost, and compulsory taxation was laid on the people. 
James I tried to warm up the hearts of his benevolent 
people. It is said ^' He got but little money and lost much 
love." When benevolences had become grievances, more 
inviting names were invented. The subject was informed 
that the sums demanded were only loans^ or he was honored 
by a privy seal — a bond which the king engaged to repay at 
a definite period \ these were peddled and hawked about, 
even to persons coming out of church. Says a manuscript 
letter : " Privy seals are flying thick in sight of all the world, 
which might surely have been better performed in deliver- 
ing them to every man at home." The general loan was, 

in fact, a forced loan, and one of the many grievances under 
12 



126 The Laborer; 

Charles I. It was very ingenious in the destruction of his 
own popularity. Commissioners were to find out who was 
able to bear the largest rates [amounts.] Lord Burleigh's 
advice to Elizabeth was — '^ win hearts, and you have their 
hands and purses." 

The inhabitants of the towns arrived at liberty and inde- 
pendence quicker than the occupiers of land. These in- 
habitants got whole manors, the rent of which was jointly 
paid, and collected their own way, and paid into the king'^s 
exchequer by the hands of their own bailiff, and they were 
freed from the insolence of the king's officers — a circum- 
stance, in those days, of the greatest importance. In pro- 
cess of time, however, it seems to have been the practice 
to grant it to them in fee — that is, forever. 

Along with this grant of paying all their rent at once in- 
stead of detail, the burghers got the privilege of giving away 
their own daughters in marriage, and also the liberty of dis- 
posing of their effects to their children by will. The prin- 
cipal attributes of slavery and villainage were taken away 
and they really became free. They were generally at the 
same time erected into a corporation, with the privilege of 
electing their own magistrates, choosing a town council, 
making their own laws, creating means of safety, building 
walls, and training the inhabitants to the use of arms, for 
the defense of their city or town. These were generally 
exempted from suit to the hundred or county court Dif- 
ficulties were left to the decision of their magistrates. 

In those days the sovereign, perhaps, of no country in 
Europe was able to protect, throughout the whole extent 
of his dominions, the weaker part of his subjects from the 
oppression of the great lords. Those whom the law could 
not protect, and who were not strong enough to defend 
themselves, were obliged either to have resource to the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 127 

protection of a great lord, and, in order to obtain it, to be- 
come either his vassals or slaves ; or to enter into a league 
of mutual defense for the protection of one another. The 
inhabitants of cities and burghs, considered as single indi- 
viduals, had no power to defend themselves. By entering 
into a league of mutual defense with their neighbors, they 
were capable of making a good resistance. The lords de- 
spised the burghers, whom they considered as a parcel of 
emancipated slaves. The wealth of the burghers never 
failed to provoke their envy and indignation, and they plun- 
dered them upon every occasion without mercy or remorse. 

The burghers naturally hated and feared the lords. The 
king hated and feared the lords also ; but though he might 
despise, he had no reason to fear or hate the burgher. Mu- 
tual interest, therefore, disposed them to support the king, 
and the king to support them against the lords. It was the 
king's interest to render the burghers as secure and inde- 
pendent as possible. By granting them magistrates of their 
own, the privilege of making their by-laws for their gov- 
ernment, that of building walls for defense, and that of re- 
ducing the inhabitants into a sort of military discipline, he 
gave them independence and the means of security against 
the barons, which it was in his power to bestow. Without 
the establishment of some regular government of this kind, 
without some authority to compel the inhabitants to act 
according to some plan or system, no voluntary league of 
mutual defense could have either afforded them any per- 
manent security, or have given the king any considerable 
support. By giving them the farm of their town in fee, he 
took away all ground of jealousy, so that he could never 
afterward oppress them, by raising the farm rent of their 
town, or by granting it to some other person. 

The princes who lived on the worst terms with their 



128 The Laborer; 

barons, seem to have been the most liberal in their grants 
of this kind to the burghs. King John, of England, ap- 
pears to have been a munificent benefactor of his towns. 
Philip the First, of France, lost all authority over his ba- 
rons. Toward the end of his reign his son Lewis consulted 
with his bishops of the royal demesnes, concerning the best 
method of restraining the violence of the great lords. His 
advice was to erect a new order of jurisdiction, by estab- 
lishing a town council with magistrates in every considerable 
town of his demesnes, and to form a new militia, by mak- 
ing the inhabitants of those towns, under the command of 
their own magistrates, march out upon proper occasians to 
the assistance of the king. It is from this period, according 
to the French antiquarians, that we are to date the institu- 
tion of magistrates and councils in the cities of France. 

It was during the unprosperous reign of some of the Ger- 
man princes, that the greater part of the free towns of Ger- 
many received their first grants and privileges. The Hanse- 
satic league was very formidable, it derived its name from 
Hanse, an ancient name for a society of merchants, and it 
also means a multitude — an alliance, an association. The 
towns of these merchants were called the Hanse-towns, and 
were a union of German cities for the protection of com- 
merce. Bremen and Amsterdam were the two first cities 
that formed it ; whose trade received such an advantage by 
fitting out two men-of-war in each city to convoy their 
ships. This was a cause of other cities entering into the 
league. Kings and princes made treaties with them, and 
were often glad of their assistance and protection ; by this 
means they grew so powerful both by sea and land, that 
they raised armies as well as navies, made peace and war, 
and had countries in sovereignty.^ All this was to increase 

■^ Sovereignty, supreme power j the power to make laws. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 129 

their trade. In the year 1200 the cities and towns In the 
league numbered seventy-two. The alliance was so pow- 
erful, that their ships of war were often hired by princes to 
assist them against their enemies. This confederacy of 
cities not only awed, but often defeated, all who opposed 
their commerce. In 1358, the Danes Interrupted their com- 
merce — revenge was taken on them ; and the Danes to 
purchase peace, gave up the dues from the passage of the 
Sound for sixteen years. Many privileges were bestowed 
on these towns by the kings of Europe for loans of money 
and other good services. 

The reader can very easily form a conception how the 
towns would forward human liberty, when kings and nobles 
oppressed their slaves, they found a welcome in these cities 
to make cloths, stuffs, silks, and linens. These slaves made 
good soldiers, as they would not like to be returned again to 
their masters and slavery. Those who opposed these free 
cities, would have to be kind to their slaves to get them to 
fight against them, and prevent them from running away. 
Hungary was a dissatisfied province of Austria. The Inva- 
sion of the first Napoleon compelled Austria to be gener- 
ous to the Hungarians, and teach them to fight. This 
people, having learned their power and the use of arms, be- 
came clamorous for liberty. In 1853, ^^'^ people revolted, 
and have now gained all they have asked for. The Eng- 
lish were constantly at war with France up to the time of 
Queen Elizabeth. In order to get the villains to go to the 
wars they promised them their freedom; on their return 
from France, they settled in the towns and became smiths, 
weavers, and artificers. 

The militia in the cities were not inferior to the militia 
of the country. The citizens were always together, which 
gave them some advantage over the lords. In Italy and 



130 The Laborer; 

Switzerland the government could not control the distant 
cities, which became independent, and conquered the sur- 
rounding nobles, and obliged them to pull down their cas- 
tles, and to live like civil people. This is the history of 
Berne, and many other cities in Switzerland. There were 
Italian republics that arose from the same causes, and per- 
ished at the beginning of the twelfth century, after existing 
for four hundred years. 

In such countries as that of France and England, the 
rule of the king was often low, but never extinguished, the 
cities had no opportunities of becoming independent. The 
king, however, could impose no taxes upon them without 
their consent, besides the stated rent of the farm. Towns 
would gain considerable wealth by trading with the sur- 
rounding and far-off countries. They were called upon to 
send deputies to the general assembly of the kingdom, so 
that they might join with the clergy and the barons, on ur- 
gent occasions, and grant to the king extraordinary aids. 
These deputies have been employed by the king, as a coun- 
terbalance in the assemblies of the powerful lords ; hence 
the representation of boroughs or towns in all the great 
monarchies of Europe. 

Order and security of individuals were established in the 
cities, when the occupiers of land in the country were ex- 
posed to every sort of violence. Men in this defenseless 
state naturally content themselves with their necessary sub- 
sistence ; because to acquire more might only tempt the in- 
justice of their oppressors. When men are secure of en- 
joying the fruits of their industry, they naturally exert it to 
better their condition, and to acquire the comforts as well 
as the necessaries of life. That industry which aims at 
something more than necessary subsistence, was established 
in cities long before it was done by the occupiers of land. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 131 

A poor villain, oppressed with servitude, would generally 
conceal some of his labor from the eye of his master, who 
claimed all. He would naturally take the first opportunity to 
run away to a town. The law was indulgent to the inhab- 
itants of towns, and it diminished the authority of the great 
lords over those who belonged to them in the country. 
If a slave could conceal himself for one year he was a free- 
man. The accumulated property in the hands of slaves 
was taken to a city as a place of refuge, as the Only sanc- 
tuary in which it could be secured to the person who ac- 
quired it. 

Even in France, a country which made more early ad- 
vances in arts and civil policy than England, their first cor- 
poration was sixty years before William's conquest. The 
erecting of these communities was an invention of Lewis 
the Gross, in order to free the people from slavery under 
the lords, and to give them protection by means of certain 
privileges, and a separate jurisdiction. An ancient French 
writer calls them '^A new and wicked device, to procure 
liberty to slaves, and to encourage them to shake off' the 
dominion of their masters." The famous charter of the 
Conqueror to the city of London, though granted at a time 
when he assumed the appearance of lenity and gentleness, 
is nothing but a letter of protection, and a declaration that 
the citizens should not be slaves. 

It is plain to the reader that kings and lords, to live in 
ease, must have slaves. Their contentions gave birth to 
cities. These have given an appearance of freedom to men, 
not a perfect freedom. This will be attained when men live 
again in the country. It can not be denied that cities are 
the abodes of refinement and luxury. The history of an 
old city opens many views into the realms of the past, 
crowded with the romantic and religious. Buildings, dilap- 



132 The Laborer; 

idated and dingy, or tastelessly modernized, in which great 
geniuses were born and died, whose tales of valor and suf- 
fering, of heroism and patience, of virtue and piety, of the 
patriot's life and the martyr's death, crowd thickly on the 
memory. Nor do the opposite reminiscences of crime and 
vice, of evil passion and false principles, fail to give us ad- 
monitions and warnings. The broad thoroughfare is a chan- 
nel, within whose banks there has been rolling for centu- 
ries a river of human life. 

These dv/elling-places of man are proofs and expressions 
of his ingenuity, skill, and toil, of his social instincts and 
. habits. Their varied architecture and style, the various 
.motives and diversified purposes that led to their erection, 
are symbols and illustrations of the innumerable forms, the 
strange gradations of men's wealth, condition, character, 
tastes, and feelings. Each house has a history of its own. 
What changeful scenes has the interior of many a dwelling 
witnessed ! Families have come and gone, people have 
been born and died, obedient to the law that man must die. 
In many a mansion has been seen the gay wedding and 
gloomy funeral, the welcome meeting, and the sad parting. 
A mansion catches the eye by its splendor ; through its win- 
dows flash the light of patrician luxury, at whose door lines 
of proud equipages drive up ; on the steps are obsequious 
footmen in gilded liveries, to receive the visitors. In those 
mansions are hearts pining away with envy, fear, jealousy, 
remorse, and agony. In that humble cottage abode, is con- 
tentment and piety, which are better than rubies or gold. 

Who can live in a large city without a feeling of pain in 
seeing splendid wealth contrasted with squalid poverty. In 
cities may be seen the marble-fronted, or exquisitely-carved 
stone-fronted mansion; the floors are mosaic or covered 
with velvet carpets; the walls are covered with beautiful, 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 133 

gold paper. In this mansion are easy chairs, luxurious so- 
fas, carved book-cases, Sevres-china, sparkling cut-glass, 
exquisitely framed pictures, beautiful gems of art, full length 
mirrors, sculptured marble fire-places, canopied bedsteads 
with deep oak carvings, and every luxury money can pur- 
chase. A short distance from this, is a dark cellar; in it is 
to be found a w^idow and her children, no chairs or table, 
these were sold to buy food. A few pieces of rags to cover 
them during the night — they can scarcely sleep for cold. 
These children have the coarsest food, while the other fam- 
ily has every dainty. The one family does no labor at all, 
the other labors incessantly, and may be on a piece of finery 
of no utility. 

This narration will show some of the causes why people 
are poor: '^In Padbury, Buckinghamshire, was executed a 
scarf two yards and three-quarters long, and three-quarters 
wide, surrounded by a wreath-like pattern of flowers and 
foliage, in which the large passion flower adorning each 
corner was particularly noticeable as a triumph of skill. 
The center or ground was studded with separate flowers, 
analogous to those on the border. This effective piece of 
work was made in strips, and joined, so as to defy the most 
critical eye. This was executed by three sisters — Maria, 
Susan, and Ann Salmon. They were employed eighteen 
weeks, and in consideration of their pre-eminent ability, and 
the importance of the task intrusted to them, were each re- 
munerated by their employers at the comparative high rate 
of six shillings a week. This beautiful lace scarf was shown 
to the Queen, who became its purchaser."* 

These lace-makers are often very wretched ; their cloth- 
ing poor and scanty, their food meager and rough. These 
lace-makers suffer by the changes of fashion, wars, bad 

■^ Lace and Lace-making, Chambers' Repository. 

13 



134 The Laborer; 

harvests, and hard times. It must be self-evident that 
if these women had done something of more utility, their 
condition v^ould have been better, and that of the commu- 
nity also. 

If we apply this reasoning to cities, we can soon remove 
the causes of misery that exists there. We must all labor 
at something useful. The first thing that strikes the eye, 
in a large city, is the magnificence of some of the streets 
that are devoted to the sale of goods. They have a great 
deal of useless labor on them. If this labor were put on the 
homes of those who toil, it would make a home attractive, 
and keep many from the haunts of vice. If the goods that 
are sold in these palace-like stores were sold in a plainer 
building, the goods could be sold cheaper. The rents keep 
many from toil, who are well able to do it, who are main- 
tained by the laborer- because he has been mistaught. 

In cities women spend a little time fixing up, to go to 
market ; then she works hard to carry home a small load 
of potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, and corn. Were the 
same time that is spent in carrying and bargaining for these 
and other articles, spent in the garden, it would yield th^ 
same quantity of vegetables. One hour in a day spent in 
a garden would give garden produce sufficient for a fam- 
ily of six persons. After the soil is plowed, to labor with a 
hoe or rake is not very severe when done in a morning. 
The gardener has to spend much time in going and stay- 
ing in the market. The gardener first suppHes himself 
with food, and sells v/hat is left to buy clothing. He 
can make much of his clothing in the time which he spent 
cultivating for others. The city person has first to earn 
money and then take time to spend it. " A person having a 
garden will cut off the time that is spent in earning market 
money. A large part of the laborer's wages is spent for 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 135 

strawberries, currants, gooseberries, blackberries, peaches, 
plums, apples, and grapes. Without these fruits men will 
be sick. A paper-maker wishes to whiten his rags, he 
uses chloride of lime, this rots them. The human stomach 
is a repository for tough steak and other things, it is neces- 
sary to use these fruits ; that the stomach may use the acids 
they contain to dissolve hard food. These fruits derive 
their cost from the labor of saving and gathering. If this 
labor were done by women and children, the cost of these 
fruits would be cut off. It is to be hoped that the time 
will come, when every family will have its own fruit-trees, 
and sit under its own grape-vine. 

Citizen Miles Greenwood, of Cincinnati, will make for 
those who wish to shorten labor a hand loom, which, by 
turning a crank, will make thirty yards of cloth in a day. 
Society has two large classes, farmers and mechanics, one 
part miserably live in the towns, paying high rents. A re- 
turn to the primitive occupations of making cloth and shoes 
in the family would bring a great deal of happiness to many. 
Even to this day, in the country villages in some parts of 
England, the mothers and daughters make the linen, laces, 
and fringes for their own use. Every reasonable person, 
after sleeping eight hours, reading eight hours, should be 
willing to work eight hours to complete the day. It is a 
beautiful sight to see a bed covered with snow-white linen, 
and the table and bureau having on it a nice flower-worked 
cover. This is a sight far more beautiful than to see a fine 
painting, the owner of which has sold a building lot to a 
mechanic for a high sum, which only cost a small sum. 
The contemplation of this painting, must bring to the sen- 
sitive mind this thought : those from whom the money was 
taken, what painful self-denial they must have practiced, in 
turning their. coats, patching their trowsers, eating butterless 



136 The Laborer; 

bread, drinking faintly sweetened cofFee, innocent of milk, 
A woman can make a yard of linen in a day, which is three 
hundred yards in a year. In a city like Cincinnati are tens 
of thousands idle boys and girls, rich and poor, who can not 
be set to work for want of space. 

In a large city is a long business street, the houses have 
carved fronts, and many are magnificent. At the back of 
the stores is an alley, in which runs a stream of putrid water, 
emiting a strong smell or mephitic air. In the back of the 
store is the counting room, in which is the owner and his 
book-keepers. These last are tender and delicate, whose ca- 
reer in life may be prematurely ended. Nature intended 
men should harden themselves with outdoor toil. This 
room is badly lighted, it is alway a dim light never sufficient 
to save the sight from dimness. While the front of the 
house is devoted to traffic, the back part is a work-shop. 
It frequently happens that over the counting room, is a room 
containing twenty or thirty milliners* Those who are the 
oldest and use glasses can sit near the windows. Some are 
twenty feet from the window, and are hastening on prema- 
ture blindness. Ail this is to gratify pride, and a love of 
gay clothing. Many printers and tailors have their shop 
windows in narrow alleys nine feet wide. 

George Stephenson, the great improver of the locomo- 
tive, said: ^^The time was coming when men could not af- 
ford to walk, they will ride on railways." Why should not 
the shops, where men have to spend one-third part of their 
time, be cheerful, roomy, and full of light on all sides? It 
will be so when men go to the country and surround their 
shops with walks and grassy lawns. The time is coming 
when cities will not be so crowded. Would it not pro- 
mote the happiness of book-printers, binders, and pressmen, 
of Cincinnati if they were in a town by themselves, the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 137 

folders, stitchers, and press-feeders are women, these, with 
the famiUes of printers would, form a large society. Why 
should not a printer have a home? A home like a manor 
house, ornamental in its architecture, with grass lawns, and 
fragrant flower beds. The other mechanics, too, should have 
homes. Not one mechanic in ten owns a home ; the reason 
is, it costs $3,000 in a large city, some more, others less. La- 
borers should form suburban towns. The wages of a mar- 
ried mechanic seems to be divided thus: for rent one- 
fourth, for chickens, honey, fruit, vegetables, pigs^ milk, 
and butter another fourth of the wages is consumed. All 
families, three-fourths of a century ago, produced abundantly 
these things ; then a house had stable, fruit and kitchen gar- 
den. The banks of the Clyde, from its mouth to the city 
of Glasgow, a distance of thirty miles, is a continuous ship- 
yard. The banks of the Thames contain a succession of in- 
, dustrial towns. Cities should be contrived so as those who 
live in them will not have to labor so hard. This will be 
done when railroads are used more. 

The city of Paris has 2,000,000 inhabitants ; to supply 
their wants persons come with garden stuff forty miles. 
What an army it must take to supply them with their food. 
The lighting of a city takes an enormous amount, which 
should be saved. In a large city thousands are employed 
at street-cleaning, sewer-digging, and in watching the city. 
In a city are many drinking saloons and tobacco shops. 
These make an enormous drain of persons from society. 
When these are returned to useful labors, society will find 
some rehef. It is not improbable that if all the book- 
keepers and clerks that are in Cincinnati should go to rais- 
ing wheat they could keep the inhabitants in bread all the 
time. This is based on the calculation that there are 
6000 clerks, each producing 500 bushels of wheat, which 



138 The Laborer; 

gives a bushel a month to 250,000 people. If the street- 
sweepers, sewer-diggers, lamp-lighters, watchmen, and the 
Members of the City Council were to work on Mr Green- 
wood's hand-loom, they could make for each in Cincinnati 
thirty-six yards of cloth. This is based on the calculation 
that there are 1,000 of these persons to do the city work, 
and they work for a year. This loom, it is said, can make 
thirty yards in a day. It has been computed there are in 
Cincinnati 4,000 persons engaged in selling beer, whisky, 
and tobacco. These could make each in a year 1,000 bush- 
els of corn. This will give to every one in Cincinnati, 195 
pounds of hams, bacon, and lard. The corn will make 
this quantity. It can be easily proved that 20,000 persons 
can clothe and feed the 250,000 persons who live in Cin- 
cinnati. This proves that if each person were to work for 
himself five-sixths of an hour in a day, directly at food and 
clothes, he would have abundance of food, and plenty of 
common clothing. It is by making many unnecessary pur- * 
suits that men are poor. Unproductive labor makes men 
poor, and causes crime. A return to productive labor will 
banish poverty and crime. 

Thomas Jefferson was of the opinion "That no place 
should be larger than the members of one's own family." 
The New York Tribune, previous to the war of 1861, 
says: ^-^Many would hesitate to believe how small is the 
compensation received by women for their labors, and the 
amount of work exacted of them in return, if it were not 
capable of strong proof. Even the skilled work of the pro- 
fessed dressmaker, milliner, and tailoress, is very poorly re- 
munerated. The sum received by that large class who do 
plain sewmg for a support is least of all, and it is often not 
sufficient, even with the greatest economy and manage- 
ment, to procure the commonest necessaries of life. We 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 139 

have now in our city women employed in making coarse 
shirts at fourteen cents each. Two of these are as much 
as they can possibly make in a day, sewing incessantly. In 
a week the amount earned was not much over one dollar 
and a half. Out of this they were. to clothe, board, and 
lodge themselves. And this was their only resource for a 
livelihood, and a precarious one, too. A steady supply of 
this kind of work can not be looked for." 

'^ What is the position of the needle woman ? Far worse 
than that of the servant. It matters not if she faints from 

exhaustion and fatigue ; Mrs wants her ball dress^ and 

the poor slave must labor, so that the gay robe may deck 
the form of beauty. The hour of release has come at last. 
The wearied girl walks feebly through the streets; she 
meets some one of her own sex bedecked with finery, the 
thought flashes across the mind, they are better off than I 
am. This thought is too often the precursor of her ruin. 
We level the poor to the dust by our general policy, and 
take infinite credit to ourselves, for raising them up by the 
grace of charity." * 

" Great cities grow to be the nursing mothers of ignor- 
ance, vice, and crime. The tendency in that direction, 
being, as every-where, in the direct ratio of the exhaustion 
of the soil. Every stage of this downward progress, is 
marked by a growing tendency toward appropriation, as a 
substitute for honest labor. As a consequence our Amer- 
ican cities are rapidly sinking, in this respect, to a level with 
the worst of those in Europe. During the last two years 
the writer (Mr Brace) has had considerable opportunities of 
observing, the degradation of Europe ; and to him it is 
sadly ominous of evil, that our future society rests on such 
a base of guilt. There is nothing in Europe worse than 

* FoNTABLANqUE. 



140 The Laborer; 

the back streets of New York. The lanes of Liverpool, 
St. Giles, and Westminister, the faubourgs of the Seine, the 
suburbs of Vienna do not, any of them, present such min- 
gled poverty and vice as do our lowest wards." * 

^^ In Boston there are 2,000 persons begging, or by fraud 
getting their daily bread. In Cincinnati may be seen daily 
600 persons during the winter asking for public relief. The 
Federal Government has now adopted a system looking 
toward the perpetual maintenance of an indirect tax. The 
nation doubles the salaries of secretaries and ministers at a 
time when the artisan finds a daily diificulty of obtaining 
food and clothing for his children. Trading cities treble 
their expenditures, and pauperism gaines with great strides. 
The expenses of the city of New York have risen in seven 
years, from $3,000,000 to $9,000,000, and the fees of the 
city attorney have advanced, from a moderate amount to 
the annual sum of $7 1,296." f 

This description of the sorrows of those who live in cities, 
is from Charles Lamb's " Essays of Elia : " " The physi- 
cal condition of the working classes, is more wretched than 
we can bear to consider. The agricultural laborers are 
subject to violent diseases, proceeding from acute inflamma- 
tion, medical assistance is very remote, and negligently ad- 
ministered ; their robust frames feed the diseases that at- 
tack them; they are stricken down in the summer of their 
days and die in the zenith of their vigorous health. Not 
so with the mechanic ; he has medical aid at hand ; acute 
disorders fall light on the yielding relaxations of his frame ;' 
it is not that he dies sooner than the laborer ; he lives more 
painfully ; he knows not what health is ; his whole life is 
that of a man nourished on slow poisons ; disease sits at his 
heart, and gnaws it at its cruel leisure. The incessant 

* Rev. C. L. Brace, "j- North American Review, No. 72 page 181. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 141 

labor in some manufactories, the small deleterious parti- 
cles that float upon the atmosphere, engendering painful 
and embittering maladies, afflict with evils, even more 
dreadful than the heritage of literary apphcation. It is not 
the disease to which the operative is subject ; he bears in 
the fiber of his nerves, and in the marrow of his bones, the 
terrible bequeathments of hereditary affliction. His parejits 
married under age, unfit for the cares, inadequate to the la- 
bors which a rash and hasty connection has forced upon 
them — each, perhaps, having resort to ardent spirits in the 
short intervals of rest. The mother engaged in the factory 
during the period of child-bearing — every hour she was so 
employed added the seeds of a new infirmity to her new- 
born offspring. 

" Observe the young mother how wan and worn are her 
cheeks ; how squalid her attire ; how mean her home, yet 
her wages and those of her partner are sufficient, perhaps, 
to smooth, with decorous comforts, the hours of rest, and to 
provide for all the sudden necessities of toiling life. A slat- 
tern and thriftless waste converts what ought to be compe- 
tence into poverty; and amid cheerless and unloving as- 
pects the young victim is ushered into light. 

''The innocent prattle of his children takes out the sting 
of a man's poverty. The children of the very poor do not 
prattle ! It is none of the least frightful features in that 
condition that there is no childishness in its dwelling. A 
sensible old nurse once said: 'Poor people do not bring up 
their children ; they drag them up.' The little careless dar- 
ling of the wealthier nursery, in their hovel is transformed 
betimes into a premature reflecting person. No one has 
time to dandle it, to toss it up and down, to coax it, to hu- 
mor, to sooth it. There is none to kiss away its tears. If 
it cries, it can only be beaten. It has been prettily said, 



142 The Laborer; 

'that a babe is fed with milk and praise/ The aliment of 
this poor babe was thin and unnourishing. The return 
for its little baby tricks, and its efforts to gain attention, is 
bitter, ceaseless objurgation. It never had a toy, or knew 
what a coral meant, it grew up without the lullaby of nurses j 
it was a stranger to the patient fondle, the blushing caress, 
the attracting novelty, the costlier plaything, or the cheap 
off-hand contrivance to divert the child, the prattled non- 
sense (best sense to it), the wise impertinence, the whole- 
some lies, the apt story interposed, that puts a stop to its 
present sufferings, and awakens the passions of young won- 
der. It was never sung too, or told a nursery tale. 

" It was dragged up to live or die as it happened. It had 
no young dreams. It broke at once into the iron realities 
of life. A child of the very poor is not an object of dal- 
liance; it is only another mouth to be fed, a pair of little 
hands to be innured to toil. It is the rival for the food of 
the parents, till it becomes a co-operator with them. It is 
never given to mirth, has no diversion or solace, it never 
makes him young again, recalling his young times. It 
makes the very heart bleed to overhear the casual street 
talk between a poor woman and her little girl. It is not 
of toys, of nursery books, of summer holidays, of the pro- 
mised sight, or of the praised sufficiency at school. It is 
on mangling and clear-starching, of the price of coal or of 
potatoes. The questions of the child, that should be the 
very outpourings of curiosity in idleness, are marked with 
forecast and melancholy providence. 

" It has come to be a woman before it was a child. It 
has learned to go to market ; it chaffers, it haggles, it en- 
vies, it murmurs ; it is knowing, acute, and sharpened. It 
never prattles. Have we not reason to say, that the home 
of the very poor is no home.'* 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 143 

One cause of the expense of living in large cities is the 
waste of food. Hired girls, not being of a philosophic turn 
of mind, cook too large a quantity, and then the excess is 
thrown away. This will come to an end when the lady of 
the house does her own cooking. In. Cincinnati there are 
hundreds of carts that go around and collect this wasted 
food. Could the waste that is in a large city be put on 
land, it doubles its fertility. These scavengers, were they to 
cultivate land thus highly manured, would lessen the hard 
toils of other cultivators. 

There are in a large city many peddlers of peanuts, ap- 
ples, soaps, needles, tape, and thread. Many of these as- 
pired to be splendid merchants and failed. Some have been 
clerks, their places were supplied by those younger than they 
were. These consume. Do they produce ? Let the young 
man look on them and be warned, and resolve to be a me- 
chanic and farmer, and he will have something. If he la- 
bors from twenty to sixty years of age, he will have done 
12,000 days' work. At the close of life he may have 6,000 
of these days' work around him, in the form of a beautiful 
garden, farm, and home. 

The laborer, who is the foundation of society, should ask 
himself: Are all the classes in society useful ? can not some 
be dispensed with ? There are in large cities, eating up 
the substance of the people, a class of men called Life In- 
surance Companies. The managers say if a healthy per- 
son gives a stipulated and annual sum for life, they will give 
at his death, to surviving friends $1,000. The twenty-third 
annual report of "The Mutual Life Insurance Company" 
contains the names of 200 persons who died in 1865. A 
person paid to them $7.62, and his friends received $1,000. 
Another paid $193, his friends received $20,000. Another 
paid $3,071, his friends received $3,000. The receipts of 



144 The Laborer; 

the year 1865 were $2,998,130. The disbursements were 
$1,540,130, which left a gain of $1,448,000. This is sup- 
posed to be divided among the policy holders. The ex- 
penses for postage, advertising, medical examinations, sa- 
laries, stationery, and printing was $212,000. The mo- 
tives in both parties is to make gain out of each other. 
The Commercial tells us that these companies owe those 
who have insured with them $800,000,000. These com- 
panies have received $44,000,000. One thing is very cer- 
tain, the people who own and manage these institutions, 
must be paid for their work. For their share they probably 
receive $15,000,000. As $500 will supply a person's wants 
for a year, it follows that 30,000 persons are kept in idle- 
ness^ who can make on the Miles Greenwood loom in a 
year 270,000,000 yards of cloth. Money obtained by hfe 
insurance is soon gone, and then the family are as help- 
less as ever. If the insurer had gone to the country, and 
made a farm, taught his family spinning and weaving, they 
would have a constant support. 

Mary Wollstonecraft says: ''Woman thus infallibly be- 
comes the solace of men when they are so weak in body 
and mind that they can not exert themselves, unless to 
pursue some frothy pleasure or to invent some frivolous 
fashion. What a melancholy sight it is to see numerous 
carriages that drive in the cities full of pale-faced ladies ! '' 
Many evils will cease when laborers leave the cities. They 
are no longer places of refuge for fugitive slaves. Labor- 
ers living in cities are slaves to landlords and merchants. 




CHAPTER VII. 



COMMERCE AND TRADE. 



Commerce, its Origin — Mankind needed Commerce to Improve their 
Condition — Its Evils and Remedy — Franklin's Opinions of Com- 
merce — Rev. Sidney Smith's Opinions of Commerce. 




"The decay of commerce is a nation's strength." — William Pitt. 

jINGS and nobles have started legislation, which 
may be defined, the art of keeping mankind poor. 
Commerce will do this most effectually. Frank- 
lin defines commerce to be '•''The exchanging of the nec- 
essaries of Hfe for superfluities. It is giving our victuals 
and clothes to the islands for rum and sugar." 

That kings and courtiers believed in keeping the people 
poor rnay be inferred from some of their expressions. Car- 
dinal Richelieu says: "If the people were well off, it 
would be difficult to keep them within legal bounds." In 
the play of "Jane Shore" is this language: "The restive 
knaves are overrun with ease, as plenty is the nurse of fac- 
tion." Robert Owen was traveling in Europe ; a great din- 
ner was made for the purpose of drawing him into a con- 
troversy with M. Gentz, a famous politician, and a cham- 
pion of a different school of reform. M. Gentz enjoyed 
"the full confidence of the leading despots of Europe," 
and was secretary of the congress of sovereigns, then about 
to assemble at Aix-la-Chapelle. Mr. Owen opened to the 
company his scheme for the improvement of the human 

(H5) 



146 The Laborer; 

race, and for arranging the social machinery, ^' so as to sat- 
urate society at all times with wealth sufficient to amply 
supply all its wants through life." M. Gentz was asked 
for a reply ; and, to Mr. Owen's surprise, said : ''We know 
very well what you say is true ; but how can we govern 
the masses if they were wealthy and so independent of us." 
Mr. Owen had engraved a picture of what society might 
be if reformed. He showed this to Lord Lauderdale, who 
looked at it attentively, and then suddenly exclaimed, " Oh 
I see it all ! Nothing could be more complete for the 
poor and working classes. But what is to become of us ?"* 

Bulwer, in his "England and the English/' tells us of 
a savage chief, who looked for some time at a printing press 
in operation, and then said : '' If that was among my people 
I could not rule them." Montesquieu, in his '' Spirit of the 
Laws," tells us that the Turkish rulers plundered their sub- 
jects as close as possible, to keep them from revolting. A 
people must have some accumulations of food, when they 
go to war. 

Gov. Hammond, when he said ''that in all social sys- 
tems there must be a class to do the mean duties of Hfe,^' 
knew that there must be some custom or usage, or some 
acts of legislating, some carrying away of the people's food, 
or selling away the public lands to favorites and specula- 
tors, or granting them to railroads which introduce habits 
of luxury to the few at the expense of the many. These 
acts make drudges of a part of the people. This senator 
knew, and many of the others knew that a state of univer- 
sal riches and equaHty would give them no needle drudges 
to prepare for their wives and daughters costly robes, or 
kitchen drudges to prepare highly- wrought and costly food. 
A system that makes senators do drudgery will not do. 

*. Life of Robert Owen, by Ashmead and Evans, Philadelphia, 1865. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 147 

Says D'Israeli,in his "Curiosities of Literature : " "That 
the Romans did not practice the art of printing can not but 
excite our astonishment, since they really possessed the art, 
and may be said to have enjoyed it, unconscious of their 
rich possession. I have seen the Roman stereotypes, or 
printing immovable types, with v^hich they stamped their 
pottery. How, in daily practicing the art, though confined 
to this object, it did not occur to so ingenious a people to 
print their literary works, is not easily accounted for. Did 
the wise and grave senate dread those inconveniences which 
attended its indiscriminate use?" 

The Marquis D'Arginson says : "Trading centralization 
tends to make the world a single kingdom, plundered by a 
multitude of intendants" (superintendents.) From these 
sentiments we may learn that legislation is a means to 
keep the people poor and in ignorance, which commerce 
can accomplish. 

After the conquest of England the villains and vassals 
of the nobility had only themselves and their masters to 
support. The lord, to keep his people poor, had only to in- 
crease the number of his retainers. As soon as commerce, 
or rather ships, were invented, then the food could be car- 
ried away. As seamen were wanted to navigate these ships, 
they would be taken from the working classes, which would 
lessen their number. The workers would have to feed and 
clothe themselves, their masters, and the seamen. The 
ship is laden with food and clothing, and it sails to Brazil. 
The natives are engaged at those pursuits that are useful — 
they are creating food and clothes. The captain says to 
the natives, " Quit your useful labors, and go to seeking dia- 
monds, for which we will give you food and clothes." The 
poor working people of England have now to clothe and 
feed these diamond seekers. Another ship is laden with 



148 The Laborer; 

food and clothing, requiring more sailors to be taken from 
the industrious classes. The ship goes to Ceylon. The 
captain says to the natives, " Your labor produces food and 
clothes, if you will quit that labor and dive for pearls, v^e 
will give you food and clothes for your labor." Another 
ship is laden with food and clothing, requiring more sailors 
from the industrious classes. This freight is taken away to 
Mexico, and for it the people are set to work seeking for 
silver, gold, dye-stuffs, sandal-wood, and many other use- 
less things. The scholars of America, the men with cer- 
tificates of learning written on sheepskin, can not deny 
that sailors come from the working classes, and to feed and 
clothe these lessens the scanty stores of those who remain 
to do useful work. It can not be denied that those who 
seek for gold, silver, diamonds, and pearls, are clothed and 
fed at the expense of the poor workers of England. If all 
this useless commerce were to come to an end, what a relief 
it would bring. Those who produce the values that ob- 
tain the products of the mines and the sea, do not enjoy 
any part of them. To see a person bedecked with diamonds 
ought to fill the just mind with indignation and sorrow. 
To see so much labor wasted should give pain. 

The Rev. Sidney Smith says : '' Every rock in the ocean 
where a cormorant can perch is occupied by British troops, 
has a governor, deputy governor, store-keeper, and deputy 
store-keeper, and will soon have an archdeacon and a bish- 
op ; military college, with thirty-four professors, educating 
seventeen ensigns per annum — being half an ensign for 
each professor — with every species of nonsense, athletic, 
sartorial, aud plumigerous. 'A just and necessary war' 
costs this country above one hundred pounds per minute, 
A pension for a man who broke his head at the pohe — to 
another who had his leg shot at the Equator ; subsidies to 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 149 

Persia ; secret service money to Thibet ; an annuity to Lady 
Henry Somebody, and her seven daughters, the husband 
having been shot at some place, where we ought never to 
have had any soldiers at all. Such a scene of extravagance, 
corruption, and expense, must paralyze industry, and mar 
the fortunes of the most industrious people that have ever 
existed." 

The evils of commerce have been necessary to improve 
mankind. There are inventions made all over the earth. 
Visiting and intercourse with other nations gives us the 
opportunities of obtaining these inventions, and it would be 
the means of improveing navigation. No doubt the ancient 
inhabitants felt themselves injured and impoverished to see 
their numbers lessened, and their food and clothes taken to 
foreign countries, to be exchanged for very foolish things. 
Their sufferings were to confer a benefit on future genera- 
tions — it was to give to over-crowded nations the means of 
going to other lands. Were commerce to be abolished the 
poor would find some relief. 

^^A Chinese emperor, of the family of Tangs, said : ' Our 
family held it as a maxim, that if there was a man who did 
not work, or a woman that was idle, some one must suffer 
cold or hunger in the empire.' On this principle he ordered 
a number of the monasteries of the bonzes (priests) to be 
destroyed. 

" The third emperor of the twenty-first dynasty, to whom 
some precious stones were brought that they had found in 
a mine, he ordered it to be shut up, not choosing to fatigue 
his people, in working for a thing that could neither clothe 
nor feed them. 

•"'In employing so many persons in making clothes for 

one person is the way to prevent a great many people from 

getting clothes. There are ten men who eat the fruits of 
14 



150 The Laborer; 

the earth to one employed in agriculture, and is the means 
to'^prevent numbers from getting nourishment."* 

Franklin wrote a letter to Benjamin Vaughan, Esq., in 
1784: ^'It is wonderful how the affairs of the world are 
managed. Naturally one would imagine that the interests 
of a few individuals would give way to general interest. 
But individuals manage their affairs with so much more ap- 
plication, industry, and address than the public do theirs. 
We assemble parliaments and councils, to have the benefit 
of their collective wisdom, but we necessarily have at the 
same time the inconvenience of their collective passions, 
prejudices, and private interests. By the help of these, art- 
ful men overpower wisdom and dupe its possessors ; and if 
we may judge by the acts, arrets, and edicts, all the world 
over, for regulating commerce, an assembly of wise men is 
an assembly of the greatest /'Wj on earth. 

" I have not thought of a remedy for luxury. I am not 
sure that, in a great state, it is capable of a remedy^ nor that 
it is so great an evil as represented. Suppose we include 
in the definition of luxury all unnecessary expense, then let 
us consider whether laws to prevent such expense are pos- 
sible to be executed in a great country, and whether, if 
they could be executed, our people would be happier or 
even richer. Is not the hope of being one day able to pur- 
chase and enjoy luxuries a great spur to labor and indus- 
try ? May not luxury produce more than it consumes, 
if, without such a spur, people would be, as they naturally 
are, inclined to be lazy and indolent ? To this purpose I re- 
member a circumstance: The skipper of a shallop, em- 
ployed between Cape May and Philadelphia, had done us 
some small service, for which he refused to be paid. My 
wife, understanding he had a daughter, sent her as a present 

* History of China, by Father Du Halde, quoted in the " Spirit of the Laws." 



A Remedy for his Wrongs, 151 

a new-fashioned cap. Three years after, this skipper was 
at my house with an old farmer of Cape May, his passen- 
ger. He mentioned the cap, and how much his daughter had 
been pleased with it. Said he : 'It proved a dear cap to our 
congregation. When my daughter appeared with it at meet- 
ing it was so much admired that all the girls resolved to get 
such caps from Philadelphia ; and my wife and I computed 
that they could not have cost less than one hundred pounds.' 
Said the farmer: 'True, but you do not tell the whole 
story. I think the cap was, nevertheless, an advantage to 
us ; for it was the first thing that set our girls to knitting 
worsted mittens, for sale at Philadelphia, that they might 
have wherewithal to buy caps and ribbons there ; and, do 
you know, the industry has continued ever since, and is 
likely to continue to increase in value, and answer better 
purposes. Upon the whole, I was more reconciled to this 
little piece of luxurv, since not only the girls were made 
happier by having fine caps, but by supplying you with 
warm mittens.' 

"In our commercial towns upon the sea coast fortunes 
will be made. Some who grow rich will be prudent, live 
within bounds, and preserve what they have gained for 
their posterity ; others, fond of showing their wealth, will be 
extravagant and ruin themselves. Laws can not prevent 
this. In some cases, indeed, certain modes of luxury may be 
a public evil, in the same manner as it is a private one. If 
there be a nation, for instance, that exports its beef and 
mutton to pay for the importation of claret and porter, 
while a great part of its people live upon potatoes, and wear 
no shirts, wherein does it difFer from the sot, who lets his 
family starve, and sells his clothes to buy drink ? 

'' Our American commerce is, I confess, a little in this 
way, we sell our victuals to the islands for rum and sugar, 



152 The Laborer; 

the necessaries of life for superfluities. But we have plenty, 
and live well, nevertheless; though, by being the soberer, 
we might be richer. 

" What occasions so much want and misery ? It is the 
employment of men and women in works that produce 
neither the comforts and conveniences of life — who, with 
those who do nothing, consume the necessaries raised by 
the laborious. 

''To explain this: The first elements of wealth are ob- 
tained by labor from the earth and waters. I have land 
and raise corn ; with this if I feed a family that does noth- 
ing ; my corn will be consumed, and at the end of the year 
I shall be no richer than I was at the beginning. But if 
while I feed them I employ them, some at spinning, others 
in making bricks for building, etc. I employ a man in fiddling 
for me ; the corn he eats is gone ; I have no wealth or con- 
veniences added to the family. I shall, therefore, be the 
poorer for this fiddling man, unless the rest of my family 
work more or eat less, to make up for the deficiency he 
occasions. 

"Look round the world and see millions employed in 
doing nothing, or something that amounts to nothing, when, 
the necessaries of life are in question. What is the bulk of 
commerce for which we fight and destroy each other but 
the toil of millions for superfluities, to the great hazard and 
loss of many lives, by the constant dangers of the sea ? 
How much labor is spent in building and in fitting great 
ships, to go to China and Arabia for tea and coffee, to the 
West Indies for sugar, to America for tobacco? These 
things can not be called necessaries, as our ancestors did 
very well without them. 

"A question might be asked : Could all these people now 
employed in raising, making, or carrying superfluities, be 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 153 

subsisted by raising necessaries ? I think they might. The 
world is large and a great part of it is uncultivated. Many 
hundred millions of acres in Asia, Africa, and America are 
still in forests, and even a great deal in Europe. On a 
hundred acres of this forest, a man might become a sub- 
stantial farmer. 

" It is, however, some comfort to reflect that, upon the 
whole, the quantity of industry and prudence among man- 
kind exceeds the quantity of idleness and folly; hence 
the increase of good buildings, cultivated farms, and popu- 
lous cities, filled with wealth, all over Europe, which, a few 
ages since, were only to be found on the Mediterranean ; 
and, notwithstanding the mad wars continually raging, by 
which are often destroyed in one year the works of many 
years of peace. So that the luxury of a few merchants on 
the sea-coasts will not be the ruin of America." 

Merchants and lawyers rule this country. It is their in- 
terest to promote luxury and corruption. There are many 
who wish and desire that American cities may have millions 
living in them, so as they can live by the corruption and 
crime that cities cause. There have been many writers on 
Political Economy, and none make this subject as clear in 
a few words as our illustrious Franklin. 

Commerce comes from the Latin word "commerclcum." 
Its carrying gives excessive toil to many of the human 
family. It is the duty of mankind to do away with carry- 
ing as much as possible. Take the example of two men: 
one goes and settles on eighty acres of government land, 
in two years he has a quantity of land cleared sufficient to 
give support to himself and wife. This farmer keeps on 
clearing land. As his children grow up they begin to plow 
and plant. A hired man is set to work ; this gives the far- 
mer ease from his toils, and his riches begin to increase. 



154 The Laborer; 

He lives like a prince, and has an appetite for his food. He 
has the finest white wheat flour, which his wife knows how 
to mix with milk, butter, and home-made yeast. * This 
is baked, when it becomes light and pufFy. The farmer has 
for his breakfast sweet butter, new-laid eggs, young chick- 
ens, and delicious sugar-cured ham^ No prince or nobles 
fare better than this, though they may be able to get some 
simple ones to leave the pleasures of home, to risk their 
lives, to ransack sea and earth for some strange luxury not 
worth eating, and it is only eaten because it has cost a large 
sum. The farmer's food is varied — his chickens are baked, 
boiled, and fried. To this is added fat, tender beef, lamb, 
turkeys, and a sucking pig. The plan among farmers is to 
kill by turns and then divide. The farmer's wife stews all 
kinds of fruits in their season, which makes quite a pleas- 
ing variety to the farmer's food. When strawberries are 
in season, the wife presses out their juices, or they are dis- 
charged by boiling. The juices are gently boiled down or 
concentrated. In this manner cherries, raspberries, black- 
berries, whortleberries, black, red, and white currants, 
plums, peaches, pears, apricots, and grapes are preserved, 
or rather the fine flavor they possess. These juices are 
preserved in Httle jars. The farmer's wives take much 
pride in showing their friends their closet-shelves covered 
with these jars. These fruits are dried and stored away to 
make future puddings and pies. The wife, prepares as a 
substitute for coffee, dried and burnt sweet potatoes, which 
when mixed with cream and sugar, can not be distinguished 
from the coffee of Rio de Janeiro, which is the nearest cof- 
fee mart to us. This coffee is paid for by giving in ex- 

^ This is a harmless compound, it is made from a fluid obtained by boiling 
hops in water, and mixing with boiled potatoes. City people use much soda 
and alum in their bread. The alum whitens bad flour, put in by bakers. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 155 

change cottons, shoes, hats, and other useful things. The 
Brazilians do not want gewgaws, or even money. This 
farmer is not often sick ; a plentiful supply of fruit or their 
juices cures and prevents disease. This farmer does not 
get his life insured, thereby keeping a parcel of idle men to 
eat up what the industrious produce. This farmer is never 
gloomy, or thinks of taking away his life.'^ 

A young man chooses to work for the carriers, the men 
who own railroads and Hve like princes. This man's busi- 
ness is to roll barrels, and lift boxes in and out of the cars. 
This work is hard, as hard as farming. This hard work is 
constant — the same throughout life. If this man marries he 
will live in a town and give half of his earnings to his land- 
lord and merchant. The probabilities are that this man 
will be poor. At his death his daughters will have to go 
to servitude, or become milliners, working many together in 
an ill-hghted room. 

The farmer is the only one who toils and has abundance. 
Has he a natural right to keep others poor and mean, that 
he may have fine clothing and luxuries ? This compromise 
must be made ; the farmer must work in the fields in the 
summer, and at mechanical pursuits in the winter, as 

*When the writer was setting up the first part of Franklin's letter, an artist 
from the opposite room came to the door — having in his arms his pupil, saying, 
" Oh Deal try ! my partner has stabbed himself!" The wound was nearly fatal. 
This was the third attempt to take life, the first was an attempt to throw him- 
self from a window six stories high, the second was to take laudanum. Both 
attempts were prevented. He is twenty-one, and has been seven years try- 
ing to be an artist. He was in a despondent state of mind ; the future looked 
dark. His teadher read to him my description how the farmers live, and it 
pleased him. He inquired : " If he was to go and get a piece of land, could he 
sell paintings?" I replied, "That farmers liked to exchange labor, and would 
help him." I told him the story of the spendthrift in " Foster's Decision of 
Character." A man spent his patrimony} he resolved to be rich again 5 he 
asked if he could shovel some coals, for which he got some food and money. 
He accumulated $3,000,000 from small savings and a willingness to work. 



156 The Laborer; 

was done eighty years ago. Clothing lasted four times as 
long then as it does now. It was hard twisted and hard 
woven. Cloth is now mixed with "shoddy." This vile 
stufFis put in flannels and blankets. If persons could see 
the bales of dirty clothing and blankets that go to shoddy 
mills, they would be dissatisfied with factory cloth. 

William Arthur, A. M., a Wesleyan minister, says: 
*' Have you ever seen a shoddy mill ? It is a curious sight. 
You find a multitude of rags and tatters gathered from all 
the winds — here a patch of Irish frieze, there a shred of 
tartan; scraps of women's shawls, of men's pantaloons, of 
flannels, horse-rugs, stockings ; threads, snips, and morsels ; ' 
blue, black, green and all hues — English, Welsh, and Ger- 
man ; a strange heap of the outcast and the defiled ; hope- 
less things that no housewife could work up, that no shiver- 
ing wretch would look to for comfort. Yet there they are 
for restoration. See how that teethed and terrible machine 
makes them look more hopeless still ; rends up even rags, 
tears up small tatters ; champs, wrests, slashes, and flings 
them out at last fibers and choking dust. But next comes 
the oil-can, and oil, abundant oil, with working and turning, 
till the heap begins to look like some caricature of wool. 
Then the spinning frame, and lo ! the tatters form to yarn 
once more ; then the loom, where the tatters turn to blank- 
ets, druggets, pilot cloth, and even what would pass under 
your eye as decent broad cloth. This shoddy covers many 
a respectable floor, flourishes in paletots of low caste, and 
goes out in blue blankets to New Zealand to clothe the 
Maories. 

"Society has its shoddy, its offcast rags, its hopeless tat- 
ters, polluted and undesirable to touch. The respectable 
world passeth them by. The Gospel in men's hearts has 
set them to search for the refuse to work them into society." 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 157 

Shoddy machines can not be defended, they are an out- 
rage on human society. When shoddy is not mixed into 
cloth it will last five times longer. We take men from 
the work-shop and the plow to be inspectors of whisky and 
flour, and other things. No one seerris to take any note, or 
give us any plan to save the wool from being destroyed. 
Shoddy is worked into all the low-priced woolens, and it is 
worn by the humble work people, who do so much for the 
happiness of men. The Scientific American gave a draw- 
ing of the machine, in the year i860, or near that time. 
In 1 86 1, the writer purchased a pair of pantaloons; they were 
woven smooth and thick. They proved very treacherous, 
and did not last while teaching a three-months' school. A 
farmer said, "Why is it your pantaloons have to be patched 
so soon." Having been in a shoddy mill I promptly re- 
plied, " They are made of shoddy, or devils' dust^ which is 
the dust of old clothes woven into long wool, at the rate of 
one-third dust and two-thirds wool." Said the farmer, 
'^ See, my pantaloons are not patched, they are home-spun, 
and have lasted three years. I have chopped wood and 
harvested in them." 

It is a problem worthy of discussion how ought wool to 
be spun and woven so as to be the most durable ? Good 
wool is often badly spun and woven. The cloth is ill made 
into clothing. Leather is often spoiled by a bad method 
of making. The best method of making the most durable 
cloth will help to shorten toil. This appeared in the 
Commercial paper: "James Ferguson, of Barnett, Vt., is 
now ninety-seven years old, is in vigorous intellect^ and he 
works every day. He wears a coat of cloth woven one- 
hundred and thirty years ago, in Bushlivat, Scotland." The 
writer when a boy, was told by an aged Englishman, in the 

days of home-spun, that two suits lasted a laborer a lifetime. 
15 



158 The Laborer; 

It seems as if the time were coming round again when 
cloth will be spun and woven in the family. This is to be in- 
ferred from the many contrivances that we see in a State 
fair for family spinning. 

Shakspeare puts this language into the mouth of one of 
his characters : " I am a true laborer ; I raise mv own flee- 
ces, I spin them, I wear them." Happy man ! may this 
again soon be the condition of every humble laborer ! If 
the farmer sends his wool to be spun in New England, the 
cloth will be very high in price. The merchant has to 
send wheat to pay for spinning the wool. If a bushel of 
wheat is worth in Ohio one dollar a bushel, and the car- 
riage to New England is fifty cents, which will make the 
bushel of wheat worth one dollar and fifty cents— if the 
spinner or weaver get one dollar and a half a day, they have 
each a bushel of wheat for their days' labor. These two 
persons have in a day worked up a certain quantity of wool. 
The carriage of this wool costs a dollar. The carriage of 
the cloth to Ohio costs a dollar. The merchant charges 
one dollar for his trouble in sending the wool to be spun 
and to bring back the cloth. The farmer, to get this cloth, 
has to give six bushels of wheat for it. One bushel of the 
wheat goes to feed those who carried it. Two bushels 
feed those who carried the wool and cloth. The merchant 
consumes one bushel. Had these two mechanics made the 
cloth in the vicinity of the farmer, and received the two 
bushels of wheat from him, the farmer would have saved the 
four bushels of wheat. If the farmer had made the cloth 
himself, he would have saved the six bushels of wheat. 

Merchants rule the American people, to gratify their own 
selfish ends and acquire wealth. Merchants are to modern 
society what the barons were to the middle ages. 

Judge Hall in an Address to the " Young Men's Mer- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 159 

cantile Association of Cincinnati," delivered, April, 1846, 
says : " It will require but little reflection to satisfy us, 
that the resources of this country are controlled chiefly by 
that class, which, in our peculiar phraseology, we term 
'the business community' — embracing all those who are 
engaged in the great occupation of buying and selling, ex- 
changing, importing and exporting merchandise, and in- 
clude the banker, the broker, and the underwriter. I have 
no hesitation in asserting that they employ more of the in- 
dustry, the intellect, and the wealth of the American people, 
than all other employments and professions united. 

*•' Commerce is limited only by the boundaries of civilized 
intercourse. It employs the highest energies of the human 
intellect, and is seen in the most magnificent displays of 
wealth and power. The vast navies that circumnavigate 
the globe are hers ; great cities acknowledge her sway ; her 
merchants are Princes ; the revenues of great and mighty na- 
tions are under her control. She is the arbitress of war 
and peace." 

Such are the arrogant claims and pretensions of the com- 
mercial or "business community," the money princes of 
the world. These claims are not just, and ought to be re- 
sisted. Those who produce all the wealth of the country 
set up no such arrogant claims for themselves, and are un- 
willing to allow them to those who only distribute what 
the industrious laborer produces. 

Much of this misery described by Carlyle may be attrib- 
uted to commerce, which takes away the people's comforts 
and exchanges them for unnecessary trifles. *•' Between our 
Black West Indies and our white Ireland, between those 
two extremes of lazy refusal to work, and famished inabil 
ity to find any work, what a world we have made of it, 
with our fine mammon worship and our benevolent phi- 



i6o The Laborer; 

landerings, and idle godless nonsense of one kind or another; 
Supply and demand. Leave-it-alone. Voluntary principle. 
Time will mend it; till British industry and all existence 
seem fast becoming one huge poison-swamp of reeking pes- 
tilence, physical and moral ; a hideous, living golgotha of 
souls and bodies burnt alive; such a Curtius gulph, com- 
municating with the Nether Deeps as the sun never saw 
till now. Thirty thousand out-cast needle women work- 
ing themselves swiftly to death ; three millions of paupers 
rotting in forced idleness, helping said needle women to die : 
these are but items in the sad ledger of despair. Thirty 
thousand wretched women sunk in that putrefymg well of 
abominations : they have oozed in upon London from the 
universal Stygian quagmire of British industrial hfe." 

Shelley, when a boy of eighteen, wrote his Queen Mab. 
He has a different opinion on commerce from Judge Hall. 
Very few believe it opens the door to famine and disease. 
It is the truth. 

" Hence commerce springs, the venal interchange 
Of all that human art or nature yields 
Which wealth should purchase not, but want demand, 
And natural kindness hasten to supply 
From the full fountain of its boundless love. 
For ever stifled, drained, and tainted now. 
Commerce ! beneath whose poison breathing shade 
No solitary virtue dares to spring. 
But wealth and poverty with equal hand 
Scatter their withering curses, and unfold 
The doors of premature and violent death, 
To pining famine and full-fed disease, 
To all that shares the lot of human life, 
Which poisoned soul and body, scarce drags the chain 
That lengthens as it goes and clanks behind. 
Commerce has set the mark of selfishness, 
The signet of its all-enslaving power. 
Upon a shining ore, and called it gold : 



A Remedy for his Wrongs i6i 

Before whose image bow the vulgar great, 
The vainly rich, the miserable proud, 
The mob of peasants, nobles, priests, and kings, 
And with blind feelings reverence the power 
That grinds them to the dust of misery. 
But in the temple of their hireling hearts 
Gold is a living god, and rules in scorn 
All earthly things but virtue." 

Abbe Mably, in the beginning of this nation's career, gave 
to the Americans this advice : '' If not to exclude exterior 
commerce, at least to keep it w^ithin bounds. The ruin of 
republicanism in the United States can happen only from 
exterior commerce. It is by great quantities of articles of 
luxury, and a frivolous taste, that commerce will corrupt 
their morals, and without pure morals a republic can not 
exist." 

Dr Price, in his observations, says : "Alas ! what can the 
United States import from Europe, except it be infection; 
I tremble in thinking on the furor for exterior commerce 
that is going to turn the heads of the Americans. Every 
nation spreads nets around the United States, and caresses 
them in order to gain a preference; but self interest cau- 
tions them to beware of these seductions."* 

The Cincinnati Commercial, of Jan. 27, 1868, in an ar- 
ticle on revolutions, says : " Thiers refers the (French) re- 
volution to the rationalistic movement of Luther. Accord- 
ing to Louis Blanc, its causes sprung from the ancient 
movement of John Huss and Jerome of Prague. The prin- 
ciples of liberty and equality, scattered through the writings 
of the French philosophers, were practically established in 
the institutions of the United States, in 1783. To the 
work of the Abbe Mably on the American revolution, writ- 
ten while it was still in progress, may be attributed much 

Quoted in Brissot de Warville Travels, in North America, in 1787. 



1 62 The Laborer; 

influence on the public mind. The more extended work 
of the Abbe Raynal on America though suppressed by au- 
thority, was widely influential in spreading free thought in 
Europe. At the same time, those prolific writers Brissot 
de Warville, Claviere, and Turgot, were widely read, and 
all of them had much to say regarding the triumph of Re- 
publicanism in America, and the glorious future about to 
open for humanity under their auspices." 

The American fathers were not guided by these men. 
Had their simple plans been carried out, misery would have 
been unknown, the condition of the people would now be 
more equal. Foreign commerce has been fostered, the land 
has been sold and given away for speculation. Lands now 
can not be had except in the regions where winters are very 
severe, or where there are dangerous Indians. There are 
unoccupied lands in the hands of speculators sufficient to 
keep 100,000,000 persons. In the year 1868, this language 
was used, in a fourth of July oration, in Cincinnati. Dr 
Lilienthal, in the Broadway Synagogue, said : "In the North 
a crushing stagnation of business; a want of food and em- 
ployment drive honest but starving laborers into the fangs 
of despairing suicide ; bankruptcy stares and peeps into the 
houses of well established merchants ; and last, but not 
least, corruption and dishonesty are every-where. The suc- 
cess of the people has yielded its place to the wealth and 
success of the few." 

Wm. M. Ramsey, at Lockland, said: "Unaccountably 
a large part of our people seern to be betaking themselves 
to suicide. Old and young, of both sexes and of every sta- 
tion in life, are flying to self-destruction. To my mind the 
present political situation of our country is full of peril ; its 
social condition full of evil. Our partisan predilections 
lead to different conclusions on the same facts." 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 163 

Archbishop Fenelon, in his Telemachus, tells us : ^' It is 
a detestable maxim that the security of a prince depends 
on the oppression of the people. If you place your people 
in a state of ease and plenty they will labor no more ; they 
will become insolent, intractable, and factious ; weakness 
and distress only can render them supple and obedient. By 
easing your people you will degrade the royal authority ; 
nothing but keeping them in the lowest subjection can keep 
them from the restlessness of discontent and the turbu- 
lence of faction." 

Fenelon had access to the king of France, He was the 
teacher of the king's son, and knew some of the court se- 
crets, some of the causes that oppressed the people. This 
good, upright Catholic prelate was banished from the court; 
the king took away his son, and did not speak to Fenelon 
for four years. Kings and nobles know that commerce is 
a means of keeping the people poor. American statesmen 
know that commerce will make fortunes for their children, 
if they choose its pursuits. Commerce has a long train of 
evils, among them is war, the parent of hunger and want. 
All modern wars have their causes in commerce. The 
South wanted to sell their cotton in Europe, and bring back 
goods duty free. The North said no, and it was one of 
the causes of the late unhappy war. 

Commerce is a means of obtaining great wealth, which is 
an injury to the humble classes. They have to be oppressed 
so as to give the rich the means of gratifying luxury. Lord 
Kames, in his "History of Man," says : " Between the 
years 1740 and 1770, six of the mayors of London died in 
office, a greater number than the 500 preceding years : 
such havoc does luxury make. Consider the quantity of 
animal and vegetable food that can be produced on land 
employed entirely in raising vines, barley, and other mate- 



164 The Laborer; 

rials of fermented liquors. The existence of thousands is 
destroyed by this species of luxury. The indulging in soft 
beds, downy pillows, and easy seats is a species of luxury, 
because it tends to enervate the body, and to render it unfit 
for fatigue. Nations, where luxury is unknown, are troub- 
led with few diseases, and have but few physicians by pro- 
fession. In the early ages of Rome, women and slaves 
were the only physicians, because vegetables were the chief 
food of the people, who were constantly employed in war 
or in husbandry. When luxury prevailed their diseases 
multiplied, and physic became a liberal profession. 

^' Cookery and coaches have reduced the military spirit 
of the English nobility and gentry to a languid state ; over- 
loading the body has infected them with dispiriting ailments ; 
ease and indolence has banished labor, the only antidote for 
such ailments. Too great indulgence in the fine arts con- 
sumes part of the time that ought to be employed on the 
important duties of life. A man who lives above his 
fortune or profits, and accustoms his children to luxury, 
abandons them to poverty when he dies. Luxury is an 
enemy to population, it enhances the expense of living, and 
confines many to the bachelor state. Luxury is, above all, 
pernicious in a commercial state. Luxury has been the 
ruin of every state where it prevailed. Great opulence 
opens a wide door to indolence, sensuality, corruption, pros- 
titution and perdition." 

Buffbn says: "The sole glory of the rich man is to 
consume and destroy ; and his grandeur consists in lavish- 
ing in one day upon the expense of his table what would 
procure subsistence for many families. He abuses equally 
animals and men, a great part of whom are a prey to fa- 
mine, and pine in want and toil to satisfy his immoderate de- 
sires. He destroys himself by excess and others by want." 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 165 

A Russian writer says: "Commerce excites luxury, cor- 
rupts manners. Universal dissipation has taken the lead, 
and profligacy of manners has followed. Great landlords 
grind their people to supply the incessant demands of lux- 
ury. The miserable peasant groans under his taxes." 

Montesquieu, in his "Spirit of the Laws," says: "If 
Poland had no foreign trade its inhabitants would be more 
happy. The grandees, who have only their corn, would 
give it to their peasants for subsistence. As their too ex- 
tensive estates would become burdensome, they would 
therefore divide with their peasants. Every one would ob- 
tain skins, or sacks of wool from their herds or flocks, so 
that they would no longer be at such an immense cost in 
providing clothes. The great, who are always fond of lux- 
ury, not being able to find it in their own country, would 
encourage the labor of the poor. This nation, I affirm, 
would then become more flourishing." 

Great cities are great evils, and are created by commerce. 
They are places of suffering, and should be abolished. A 
few centuries ago they were thought an evil. In 1672, an 
edict came from Louis XIV, that asserted : " That by en- 
larging the city, the air would be rendered unwholesome ; 
that cleaning the streets would prove a great additional 
labor; that adding to the number of inhabitants would 
raise the price of provisions, of labor, and of manufactures ; 
that the ground would be covered with buildings instead 
of corn, which might hazard a scarcity; that the country 
would be depopulated by the desire that the people have to 
resort to the capital ; and, lastly, that the difficulty of gov- 
erning such numbers would be an encouragement to rob- 
bery and murder." 

In 1602, Queen Elizabeth prohibited any new buildings 
within three miles of London, in this preamble: *'That see- 



1 66 The Laborer; 

ing the great and manifold inconveniences and mischiefs 
which daily grow, and are hkely to increase, in the city of 
London, and that such multitudes can hardly be governed, 
and provided with food and other necessaries at a reason- 
able price, without adding new officers and enlarging their 
authority. Many of those who are poor must live by beg- 
ging or worse means, and are heaped up together — many 
children and servants in one house or small tenement." 

Lord Kames, in his " Sketches of Man," says: ^^ Mex- 
ico and Peru afforded to their numerous inhabitants the nec- 
essaries of life in profusion. Cotton was plentiful, more 
than sufficient for the clothing. Indian wheat was univer- 
sal, and was cultivated without much labor. The natural 
wants of the inhabitants were thus easily supplied., and ar- 
tificial wants had made no progress. The Indians have 
learned from their conquerors a multitude of artificial wants, 
variety of food, and rich clothing. 

"The Peruvian constitution seems to have been an agra- 
rian law of the strictest kind. To the sovereign was given 
a large portion of the land for the expenses of the govern- 
ment; and the remainder was divided among his subjects. 
Every man plowed his own field, and then assisted his 
neighbor. Individuals were taught to do every thing for 
themselves. Every one knew how to plow and manure his 
land. Every one was a carpenter, mason, shoemaker, and 
weaver; and they were obliged to assist each other in sow- 
ing, reaping, and building without any reward." 

* " None were idle or fatigued with labor ; the food was 
wholesome, plentiful, and equal to all ; every one was con- 
veniently lodged and well clothed ; the aged, sick, widows, 
and orphans, were assisted in a manner unknown in any 
other part of the world; every one married from choice 

* Description of the Paraguay Indians, by Abbe Raynal, in his History. 



A Remedy fqr his Wrongs. 167 

and not from interest, and children were considered a bless- 
ing, and could never be burdensome. Debauchery, the 
necessary consequence of idleness, which equally corrupts 
the opulent and the poor, never tended to abridge the term 
of human life; nothing served to excite artificial passions, 
or contradicted those that were regulated by nature and rea- 
son ; the people enjoyed the advantages of trade, and were 
not exposed to the contagion of vice and luxury ; plentiful 
magazines, and a friendly intercourse between nations united 
in the bonds of the same religion^ were a security against, 
any scarcity that might happen from the inclemency of the 
seasons; public justice had never been reduced to the ne- 
cessity of condemning a single malefactor to death, to igno- 
my, or to any punishment of long duration; the very names 
of a tax or lawsuit, those two terrible scourges which every 
where else afflict mankind, were unknown." 

Civilization can give us no such a picture as this. Bolts 
and locks, constables and watchmen, jails and prisons are 
to be seen every-where. The causes of which are, men 
are taken from useful pursuits to manage the money affairs, 
to engage in commercial pursuits, and to govern the nation. 
These are so numerous, men are poor. They cause crime 
and celibacy. There are two classes in large cities that de- 
serve our pity, servant women and milliners. They work 
from morn to night on gay dresses covered with beads, rib- 
bons, and spangles, which makes the wearer look like a 
harlequin, and who is often an idle woman. This gay robe 
often sweeps the streets, as trains are in fashion in 1868. 
The poor girls at night can work on their own scanty dresses 
to the injury of their eye-sight. Strangers who come to a 
very large city observe some streets are occupied by infe- 
rior merchants, whose families Hve up stairs. From the 
front part runs a long narrow building, which contains the 



i68 The Laborer; 

cooking, dining, and washing-room ; all this is sacred to the 
maid of all work; over this is her sleeping cell. In this 
place she cooks, scrubs and washes thirteen hours in the 
day. She has brick walls around her and can see nothing. 
The alley emits vile smells which can not be cured. She 
is a stranger to the pleasures of home or friends. 

This woman is not as happy as a monk. Abbe Rayiial 
tells us a beaver is happier than a monk. This writer tells 
how these animals saw down a tree with their teeth, and it 
falls across the stream, the branches are gnawed off, and 
pieces of trees are floated down. A solid dam is made. It 
has openings to let off the surplus water. The beaver has 
his house on the top of the dam ; it is made of mud and 
sticks ; it is plastered inside very smooth, the floor is kept 
very clean, and covered with hay. A man can repose very 
comfortably in their huts. They build store houses for 
food, and it is divided without contest. 

'^A male and female get acquainted when laboring on the 
public works, and agree to pass the winter together ; for this 
they lay up food. The happy couple retire to their hut in 
September. The winter gives leisure for amorous pursuits. 
The couple never leave each other. Their time is conse- 
crated to love. On sunshiny days the loving pair walk on 
the banks of the river, eat some fresh bark, and breathe 
earth's exhalations. Toward the end of winter the female 
has those endearing pledges of this universal passion of na- 
ture. The father leaves his cell to his family, as it is spring. 
The mother goes out and feeds her charge on fish and bark." 




CHAPTER VIII. 

GOLD, SILVER, AND PAPER MONEY. 

Money has its Origin in the Love of Ornament — A Means of Keeping 
THE People Poor — What Money costs Society — The Causes of Metal 
Money—The History of Paper Money—Opinions of Andrew Jackson. • 

" Gold 'tis trash, it is the worldling's god." — Pollok. 




OME village mechanics living in Europe were 
watching some street occurrence, which caused the 
magistrate to come to them and tell them to go 
to work. This was very thoughtful in the magistrate. He 
no doubt thought much was depending on their labors, and 
he was right. It probably never occurred to the mind of 
the magistrate, that if he and many others would go to work 
at something of utility there would be such an abundance in 
the world that disputes would never occur at all. Suppose 
these laborers should go along the banks of a stream and 
seek for shells and convert them into rings and ornaments, 
m.en would not be any richer. If the magistrate should say 
to these men, poverty will overtake you, it would be the 
truth. If these persons should go and seek for gold, bitter 
poverty would be felt somewhere. 

Adam Smith, in his "Wealth of Nations," says: 
''Among civilized nations many do not labor at all, many 
of whom consume the produce of ten times, frequently a 
hundred times, more than those who work." Nature 
never designed this. As labor gives aching bones and limbs, 

(169) 



170 The Laborer; 

men are continually trying to throw the burden of their 
keeping on those who labor. A more prolific source of liv- 
ing without laboring, consuming without producing, can not 
be found than in money, which is truly an invention to get 
others' wealth and labor ; which takes from him who labors 
the fruits of that labor, and gives it to him who will not 
labor. 

Money had its origin in a period of the world when the 
condition of mankind was equal, when they had nothing 
to exchange. It is probable that we are indebted to the 
love of ornament for money. It is said that John Lander, 
the African traveler, had with him the same medals of brass 
that were used by the British Government to get the Amer- 
ican Indians to fight against the American people. To 
get these medals the Indians will sell the lands of his an- 
cestors ; the African will set fire to the villages of neigh- 
boring tribes, for the purpose of seUing the fleeing inhabi- 
tants into slavery, so as to get these ornaments. What a 
fearful price do the savages pay for these mean ornaments ! 
With what pride do they wear them ! Ships go to Africa 
with beads and copper coins, which are exchanged for gold 
dust, and ivory. No doubt these beads and coins could be 
exchanged for wheat if the natives had it. Some of the 
Chinese hang their money around their necks as an or- 
nament. 

When the poor inhabitants of Cuba and St. Domingo, 
were first visited by the Spaniards, they had little pieces of 
gold in their hair and other parts of their dress as orna- 
ments. They were astonished at the rage of the Spaniards 
to obtain these, and to give their food and clothing for that 
which was of no value to them, nor of any great value to 
the Spaniards. 

The name money comes from the Latin word moneta^ 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 171 

a piece of stamped metal. A slave, to whom a sheep was 
due, could he be persuaded to receive a coin instead of it, 
vvould have no motive to receive it except for ornament. 

Those who rule a country always, contrive to own the 
copper, silver, and gold mines. William the Norman gave 
these to his favorites, and forbid all others to seek for silver 
or gold. The Duke of Cornwall owned the copper mines. 
He could make copper money and give it for what he liked. 
Wages were once a penny a day. If a penny was coined in 
five minutes, it got a day's labor out of the slave. Money 
at first was rude bars, till human ingenuity found out how 
to stamp on them the monarch's image. 

William I ordered that twelve ounces of silver should be 
coined into twenty parts, each part to be called a shilling. 
Each succeeding monarch made it to weigh less at every 
coinage, a grain or more at a time. In the time of Philip 
and Mary, the twenty shilHngs only weighed five ounces. 
If wheat was a shilling a bushel in the time of William, his 
pound of silver got twenty bushels of wheat. If the pound 
of silver was made into twenty-one shillings, the king had 
twenty-one bushels of wheat. 

Charles I wanted money. He said : " Let the servants of 
the mint mix three penniesworth of silver, with as much 
alloy as will make a coin of the size of a shilling." He 
was told the servants of the mint would not do it. "Let 
them be sent to prison," said the angry monarch. The 
order was not obeyed. It would have been in the time of 
Henry VIII. European coins are shamefully alloyed. 

If the State treasurer were to get in all his taxes, and 
get a decree passed that half a dollar should be of the value 
of a dollar, he would pay twice as many debts, so would all 
others. When the debts were paidjif another decree were 
to bring back again the money to its first value it would be 



172 The Laborer; 

a fraud. The king of France changed the livre^ a coin that 
was divided into twenty-eight parts, to the value of forty 
parts. When the king had paid his debts, he changed the 
money back again to the first value. 

The gold and silver in the English mines was exhausted 
about the time of Henry VIII. England has now obtained 
enormous supplies of gold from the mines of South Amer- 
ica. Many a bagful of gold-dust has gone into the Mint, 
to be stamped into money, and then exchanged for the pro- 
ducts of labor. This exchanging has been going on for 
generations, and it makes the people poorer. Such have 
been the accumulations of gold and silver in England, that 
twenty times as much is given for wages, as was five cen- 
turies ago. This does not improve the condition of the 
poor toiler. A bushel of wheat for ages has been the stan- 
dard for a day's labor of a skilled laborer. If wages are a 
penny a day, the bushel of wheat is worth one penny. If 
a day's labor is five shillings, then i^s the bushel of wheat 
worth five shillings. Mechanics fall into a fatal error to 
think the higher their pay, the better is their condition. 

Suppose the merchants of this country obtained gold 
amounting to $100,000,000, and spent it, the inhabitants 
would be that much poorer, with much less of the comforts 
of life. It is something we can not eat or wear. Simple- 
tons will give their necessaries for superfluities. Stewart, of 
New York, one of the richest men there, has no gold on 
his person, proving that it is of no utility, except to sur- 
geons and dentists. The papers tell us that during twenty 
years the California mines have yielded $1,200,000,000. 
This sum would have given 1,200,000 families a happy 
home, worth $1,000. A cottage worth $500 with barns 
and fences to that amount on land, would make many su- 
premely happy. The Secretary of the Interior, tells us 




/-SITFA 



This boy, because he paid for the broom, is made a clerk, which has improved 
his looks, at the expense of some one else's comfort j to prove this his patron ob- 
tains a sum of money on a town-lot, or piece of wild land, the buyer of which has 
to practice unjust, painful self-denial to obtain it. The Being who rules on high 
never designed that a part of his children should keep others in unproductive toil. 
In Cincinnati, there are 4,000 clerks and book-keepers; these working on level,' 
fertile land, aided by machinery, can produce a sufficiency of food to maintain its 
300 000 inhabitants. If its 1,000 persons as police, sweepers of the streets, rulerg 
of .he city, etc., were to work on M. Greenwood's loom, they could clothe the city. 

4 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 173 

that when the Pacific Railroad is complete, the product of 
the gold mines will be annually $150,000,000. Were 
those who seek for gold to work at something else, it would 
shorten the hours of labor more than a thirteenth. This 
calculation supposes the diggers are laborers earning $500 in 
a year, which will give us 300,000 laborers, who can spin 
and weave, yearly, 1,350,000,000 yards of cloth, or find 
one-third of the nation in food. Those who clothe and 
feed the gold seekers — do not have much of the gold. 

Gold has become so abundant in England that it is put 
to strange uses. The Duke of Buckingham has two tons 
of silver-ware. The Queen of England has changes of 
gold-ware, sufficient to dine two hundred and forty persons. 
The Earl of Carlisle has the dome of his mansion covered 
with gold. The Duke of Devonshire has one of his gate- 
ways covered with gold. Another nobleman has a gold 
staircase. It is a frequent occurrence for an idle American 
woman to wear jewelry worth $100,000. Ye statesmen 
and philosophers, tell us, who are the humble ones, how 
much of human happiness is sacrificed to promote all this 
senseless vanity ? 

Gold and silver money became so abundant, men buried 
it in the earth. The wealth of the Jews was in such things 
as they could carry away; they were money-lenders and 
exchangers. They were often plundered, persecuted, and 
had to find a refuge in other countries, and then purchase 
the privilege to return. They have paid at times one-third 
of the king's revenue for protection. The Jews are the 
same now as in the time of Moses — they had tables at the 
door of the temple, and sold or exchanged half-shekels as 
an offering to the Lord. Six centuries ago they might be 
seen in the commercial marts of Europe, sitting on benches, 
exchanging money for the Catholic pilgrims. The benches 
16 



^74 The Laborer; 

on which they sat were called hanco^ the Italian name for a 
bench, from which comes the name of bank. 

The increase of population made the hiding of money 
insecure. This led to the formation of banks of deposit by 
the Lombards and Jews. The crusades and religious pil- 
grimages led to the custom of loaning money to these bank- 
ers. These Jewish bankers often loaned money at twelve 
and twenty per cent ; for this they may have thought they 
had divine permission. Li the book of Deuteronomy it is 
written, "Of thy brother thou shalt not take usury, of the 
stranger thou shalt take usury." 

The Bank of Venice was the first in Europe, and was 
established in 1 171. The republic was pressed for money 
and it levied a forced contribution from the richest citizens, 
giving them in return a perpetual annuity of four per cent. 
An office was established for the payment of the interest. It 
was punctually paid, and became the Bank of Venice. At 
the office claims were registered, and the right to receive 
interest, which was transferable by purchase or death. It 
was a bank of deposit, begun without capital. The inva- 
sion of the French in 1797 ruined the bank. The repub- 
lic was its security. In 140 1, the Bank of Barcelona was 
established. In 1407, the Bank of Genoa was started. 

The Bank of Amsterdam was started in 1609 -, the ma- 
gistrates, by authority of the states, were declared perpetual 
cashiers to the inhabitants. All merchants were by law 
obliged to open an account with the bank, for which they 
paid a fee to the city. This bank was to assist the mer- 
chants in their commercial dealings. Creditors of mer- 
chants were to receive their dues at the bank, and the bills 
and receipts were recorded there. For deposits of silver or 
gold a certificate was given and recorded. In 1672, the 
French invaded the country, and the merchants went for 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 175 

their money, and it was there. The French invaded Hol- 
land in 1794; the merchants went to the bank for their 
money, and it was not there. This compelled the authorities 
to confess they had loaned the deposits to Holland, West 
Friesland, and the East India Companyj the claims on these 
were given to those who had the certificates of the bank in 
their possession. 

In 1640, the merchants of London carried their money 
to the Mint in the Tower. Charles I, wanting money, took 
^200,000. This destroyed its character as a place of secu- 
rity and deposit. The merchants then kept their money at 
home, and were robbed by their apprentices and clerks. 
This caused the merchants to take their money to the gold- 
smiths, who had vaults. The goldsmiths received money 
on trust, and allowed interest on it. The receipt passed 
from hand to hand as bank notes do now. The goldsmiths 
reloaned this money to the king, on the security of the 
taxes. This suggested the Bank of England, in 1694. 

The mayor and council of London, with some of the 
nobility, invited William III and Mary, his queen, to come 
from Holland and rule them. Mary was the next heir to 
the throne. William wanted to have a war with France. 
He did not like to tax the people, for fear he might be ex- 
iled like James II, or lose his head, as did Charles I. He 
got a charter for the Bank of England on condition it 
loaned money to the government. The first loan was the 
sum of $6,000,000. The bank was to receive as interest 
$500,000. The next sum borrowed was $10,000,000, to 
pay a debt to the East India Company. The interest on 
this was $800,000. Charles II took out of the treasury 
$3^500,000. This belonged to some merchants who had 
it in the treasury. Charles's unjust appropriation was made 
a small part of the national debt. The people have paid 



J 76 The Laborer; 

this amount fifteen times over, in the shape of interest. A 
king dare not ask his subjects for money to carry on a war, 
and yet, for pieces of paper money, they will give salaries 
to his officers , food and clothing to his soldiers. Strange in- 
fatuation ! These sums, when put together, were called 
'*■ The ConsoHdated Debt." This term is now abbreviated 
to "Consols." 

In seven years the bank had loaned $80,000,000, a small 
trifle. It was the beginning of a source of misery ; and the 
germ of a plague that has ravaged England from that day 
to this. The Bank of England has contributed from 1694 
to 1 8 15, for carrying on useless and desolating wars, the 
enormous sum of $6,050,000,000. This borrowing has 
made the people of England pay three times this amount 
in interest, which amounts with the interest and principal 
to $26,050,000,000. Had money never been invented 
this enormous sum would never have been got out of the 
people. There are 50,000,000 of acres of land in Great 
Britain, were they to be sold for $100 an acre, and this ad- 
ded to the value of the peoples' dweUings, it would equal 
only half of this amount. The funding or banking system 
has enabled a few to get from those who labor, the value 
of all of England's accumulated labor, excepting the silver 
and gold. This calculation supposes the familes number 
6,000,000, and that the habitation of each family is worth 
1 1, 000. 

The reign of William III may be styled the most unfor- 
tunate that England ever saw ; during its pernicious prog- 
ress were sown the seeds of a system which has poisoned the 
happiness of Englishmen, and reduced them from a state of 
wealth and universal comfort and ease to a land of toiling 
slaves and spirit-broken paupers; who are lorded over by a 
moneyed and landed aristocracy, who have divided the govr 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 177 

ernment between them, and by a mixture of crime and er- 
ror, in a century and a half, have induced a state of suffer- 
ing and insecurity that bids fair to destroy the safety of the 
people. The Bank of England was a means of introducing 
the folly and wickedness of mortgaging the future happi- 
ness and labor of posterity, and also the means of introduc- 
ing among the industrious classes pauperism, crime, and 
destitution; while the wealth of the country is drawn into 
huge masses and placed in the grasp of Jews, loan-mongers, 
gamblers in stocks, and every conceivable kind of swind- 
ling. It was the means of changing a country of wealth and 
happiness into a land of discontented, rebellious paupers, 
kept quiet by a standing army. The people are crushed in 
to the earth by a paper money aristocracy. 

The sum borrowed to carry on the American Revolu- 
tion was $6^5,000,000 ; this has been paid four times over 
in interest. The whole sum is $3,500,000,000. The 
English wars in France cost $4,250,000,000, from 1793 to 
18 1 5. This sum has been paid twice as interest, which 
makes the amount to be $12,750,000,000. All this was 
used to destroy the happiness of mankind and the princi- 
ples of liberty. They were gigantic efforts of the privi- 
leged classes to prevent the amelioration of society, and to 
render mankind the eternal victims of oppression. Those 
who have contributed this amount went hungry and naked. 
The banking system was the reconquest of England to a 
worse condition of slavery than that of the feudal ages. 

It is a truth, the issues of paper, gold, and silver money 
raise the necessaries of life, without giving the worker any 
more abilities to produce. The first loan increases the 
price of provisions, and the second loan has to be larger to 
to purchase them. The paying out of this loan makes the 
necessaries of life still higher. Loans and necessaries go 



178 The Laborer; 

up at a fearful ratio, increasing the wages of the soldier and 
producer. This expanding of the currency has been com- 
pared to blowing up a bubble till it bursts, then comes the 
misery. Mankind have invented the funding system, or the 
putting away paper money at interest. This may be an 
evil, it is probably the least of many evils. It would be a se- 
rious evil to get ten dollars for a day's labor and then pay it 
out for a bushel of wheat. It would require large bags to 
contain the money. It is a serious evil to create a large 
public debt with an expanded currency, and pay it with a 
contracted one. 

In 1 7 16, John Law started the Bank of France, " To put 
a stop to usury, to facilitate exchanges, to increase manu- 
factures, and to enable people to pay more easily their 
taxes." These were the motives this man put forth to get 
the labor of others. In 17 18, the king bought the bank. 
To save this bank from demand for specie, the king forbid, 
the making of silver plate, the payment of debts in specie, 
all rents, taxes, and customs w^ere to be paid in paper 
money. Fines, imprisonment, and confiscation, v/as en- 
forced against those who had in their possession more than 
500 silver livres. 

The paper fabric fell. Its fall ruined thousands and re- 
duced them to beggary and want; and well it might, by 
means of this paper money. The king got $420,000,000 
out of their property in the space of four years. To absorb 
this paper money^ pensions were granted to run twenty and 
forty years. Those who had these annuities became pub- 
lic paupers, and lived on the labor of others. It is said 
plenty of money makes good times. Then these French 
men ought to have had good times. They gave their labor 
for paper and got state paupers to keep. This money was 
used to find gold in Louisiana, and found cities there. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 179 

During the French revolution there was issued paper 
money, secured by the property of the church and exiled 
nobles. When the English and French engaged in war, 
the English counterfeited a great many bales of this money, 
and caused it to be circulated in France ; the government 
would not redeem it. 

The Bank of the United States was started in 1781, with 
a capital of gold and silver to the amount of $400,000. It 
was owing to this bank that the war of the revolution was 
carried to a successful issue. The government got loans 
from it to the amount of $200,000,000. This bank was 
re-chartered in 1790 and 18 16. In 1836 it was vetoed by 
Andrew Jackson. Its capital, by its last charter, was the 
sum of $35,000,000, of which the United States contri- 
buted $7,000,000. 

It becomes the laborer to get a clear idea of what capital 
is. It is not the duty of the laborer to take the definition 
of this word from the princely merchant or banker, who 
finds it to his interest to mislead the laborer, and get his 
surplus labor away from him. Capital, was in olden times, an 
accumulation of food and clothes to consume while men 
built their houses or engaged in any useful pursuit. This is 
still capital, and the creator of it can share it with others, on 
condition they help him. If there was no paper money to 
get a railroad, men would have to go and hunt for silver 
and gold, and pay the builders of the railroad with this 
when coined. If these miners concluded that if they built 
the road with their own hands, it would be the same as to 
seek gold. The labor spent on the road is equivalent to 
labor spent on the silver and gold. In the period of a gold 
and silver currency the State built all great works by taxes, 
and applied the profits to the expenses of the State. Since 
the art of printing has been discovered, and causes have led 



i8o The Laborer; 

to paper money, men can get railroads, canals, bridges, and 
turnpikes for nearly nothing. Men, when they want to 
own these things, pledge State debts and mortgages, to the 
State authorities, who give the beautiful money to them in 
bales. This money costs two dollars a thousand, and it is 
exchanged for the mechanic's skill, and the farmer's toil, 
at the ratio of two to a thousand. It probably takes half 
a day to print this $i, 000, and it buys 500 days' labor from 
the railroad workers, who will get 250 days' labor from the 
farmer and mechanic for it. 

Canals were not used in England before the year 1760. 
The Duke of Bridgewater conceived the idea of digging a 
canal to carry coals into the city of Manchester. He got 
a bank note plate; and the money, when printed, read, 
''The Duke of Bridgewater will pay this on demand." 
Those who dug the canal got the notes, these were taken 
by the farmer and merchant, who believed the duke's pro- 
mises, so they let the laborer have real capital food and rai- 
ment. When the canal came into use the profits redeemed 
the notes, and the duke and his family had a means of sup- 
port forever. He did not furnish the capital; he only used 
cunning to get others to build this canal. The opinion 
that he was rich built the canal. 

Before this time coal was carried in wagons, and on the 
backs of asses. It was a strange sight to see a long train of 
these little creatures, having on their backs a bushel of 
coal. The duke, by his enterprise, sent hundreds of men 
and boys to other pursuits, perhaps to create luxuries. ,It 
would have been far more rational had the authorities of 
Manchester issued the money and made the canal, the per- 
sons who fed and clothed the laborers would have got some 
of the profits. This would consign to the workshop and 
plow, the duke and his family, and many tax-gatherers. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. i8i 

In this manner railroads, bridges, and turnpikes can be 
obtained by the State becoming Hke a pawnbroker, to re- 
ceive property as pledges, and to issue money on it. In this 
way a person can become twice as rich as he was before. 
This makes the condition of men very unequal — one part 
toil hard to minister to the idleness and luxury of the other. 
Suppose five persons each pledge $20,000 worth of inter- 
est-bearing property, with the comptroller; they receive the 
sum of $100,000, which was the plan in i860, now it is 
to pledge government securities, which bear interest while 
in pledge. If one of the persons who has received the 
$20,000 were to build a bridge with the money, his family 
would have a means of support forever. The same with a 
turnpike or a railroad. 

It is the duty of society to own these, and get their reve- 
nues. If society can get a revenue from these sources, 
it will send the tax-gatherer to more useful work, and it will 
do the same to those who live on these profits. The 
United States banks have carried thousands from affluence 
to poverty. Many a person has got his father's patrimony, 
and then pledged it to some bank ; the speculation not prov- 
ing successful, the estate was lost. The natural employ- 
ment of man is to cultivate the earth — banks allure him 
from it. 

Hon. S. P. Chase, when governor of Ohio, in his message, 
said : " No system of currency can insure complete protec- 
tion against speculation, debt, and revulsion. Credit cur- 
rency in the United States is supplied by banks in the form 
of notes circulating as money. The number of banks, in 
1858, exceeded 1,400; their circulation is $214,778,822; 
deposits, $230,358,352; capital, $370,686 ; discounts, $684- 
456,887 ; and specie, $60,000,000. It needs but a glance 
at this statement to perceive that a currency so expanded 
17 



1 82 The Laborer; 

must greatly stimulate hazardous speculation, and tend to 
financial disorder. The credit currency must become, in 
part or all together, incontrovertible into coin." 

The capital of these banks is in the hands of the comp- 
troller, and is earning six per cent, interest ; add this interest 
to the interest the discounts earn, and add $5,000,000 to 
the two interests, and you have $40,000,000, the probable 
annual cost of the paper money of this land. The first 
sum is what the banks gain by their money getting des- 
troyed, burnt, and wrecked. It is said a Lowell factory girl 
can make 1,000 yards of cotton cloth in a week; hence, if 
the bankers, their families, and dependents were to become 
workers, they could make for this people 4,000,000,000 
yards of cotton cloth. 

Said Helvetius to Frederick the Great, in alluding to some 
petitions for monopolies: "Sire, you need not trouble your- 
self to read them through ; they all speak the same language. 
We beseech your Majesty to grant us leave to rob your 
people of such a sum ; in consideration of which, we engage 
to pay you a share of the pillage." 

Professor Vethake in his book on Political Economy, 
when speaking of bank expansions and contractions, says : 
'^ Profits, too, made in this manner can not be classed with 
those which result from ordinary gaming. They are pre- 
cisely of the same nature with the winnings of the gambler, 
who uses false dice^ or marked cards, unknown to his vic- 
tim ; and the act of obtaining them is deserving of no milder 
epithet than that of swindling or rohbery,^^ 

In 1 83 1, Mr Stephen Simpson, Cashier of the United 
States Bank, pubUshed the "Working-Man's Manual," 
in which the evils of banking are well portrayed. Page 48 
says: "It is a singular infatuation, prevailing among Polit- 
ical Economists, that the scarcity of food that exists among 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 183 

the laboring people is attributable to the excess of popu- 
lation, while the palpable fact was staring them in the face, 
that the excess of the rich demonstrated the falsity of the 
hypothesis. 

'^ The stinted measure of the wages of labor may be just- 
ly termed the evil principle of the age. If we substitute 
capital, banks, and monopolies, for the barons, lords, and 
bishops of the feudal time, we shall realize a juncture so 
precisely similar, as to carry out in full an illustration of the 
abuses under which the sons of labor now sufFer oppression 
and injustice. But the laws have made it a just and meri- 
torious act, that capitalists shall combine to strip the man 
of labor of his earnings, and reduce him to a dry crust and 
a gourd of water. Thus does power invert justice, and 
derange the order of nature. He who sows, shall reap ; he 
who builds, shall inhabit; he who produces, shall possess! 
This is the dictate of nature, justice, reason, instinct and 
common sense. This instinct is crushed by the power of 
law and capital. Why should the working classes be 
stripped of the fruits of their labor ? Simply because they 
are defenceless, and custom has, from time immemorial, 
classed them with slaves and servants." 

In Spark's '^ Life of Washington," is a letter to Thos. 
Stone, in which the General says: "I do not scruple to de- 
clare that, if I had a voice in your legislature, it would 
have been given decidedly against a paper emission. The 
wisdom of man, in my humble opinion, can not devise a 
plan by which the credit of paper money would be long 
supported ; consequently depreciation keeps pace with the 
quantity of the emission, and articles for which it is ex- 
changed rise in a greater ratio than the sinking value of the 
money. An evil equally great is the door it immediately 
opens for speculation, by which the least designing, and, 



184 The Laborer; 

perhaps, most valuable part of community are preyed upon 
by the more knowing and crafty speculators." 

John Q. Adams says: "As to bankers, there is but little 
difference between them and the counterfeiter. If I should 
give any preference, the counterfeiter is the best, for neither 
of them ever expected nor intended to pay their notes. 
The banker, more bold and daring, robs the people under, 
cover and pretense of the law ; the counterfeiter, more dif- 
fident and unassuming, robs the people without law." 

Daniel Webster, in 1812, in the U. S. Senate, said: 
'•^ Of all the contrivances for cheating the laboring classes 
of mankind, none is so effectual as that which deludes with 
paper money ! It is the most perfect expedient ever in- 
vented for fertilizing the rich man's field by the sweat of 
the poor man's brow." 

Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to J. Taylor, said: ''The 
system of banking we have both equally and ever repro- 
bated. I contemplate it as a blot left in our institutions, 
which, if not corrected, will end in their destruction^ which 
is already hit by gamblers in corruption, and is sweeping 
away in its progress the fortunes and morals of our citizens. 
And I sincerely believe with you, that bank estabhshments 
are more dangerous than standing armies." 

Andrew Jackson, in a letter to M. Dawson, in 1840, 
said : "A national paper currency is a great curse to any 
people, and a curse to the laborer of any country, for its de- 
preciation falls on the working classes." 

Wm. H. Harrison, in a speech made at Dayton, said : " I 
am not a bank man ; I was once, and they cheated me out . 
of every dollar I had placed in their hands." 

Wm. Pitt said : "Let the Americans adopt their funding 
system, and go on with their banking institutions, and their 
boasted independence will be a mere phantom." 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 185 

It mav seem strange to many why American liberty is 
imaginary; it is so, unless it means every man to get all he 
can of his neighbor's labor, and keep it. It is self-evident 
that the man who is possessed of abundant riches has not 
earned them, and the causes that made him rich will make 
riches universal, if men will turn the money into other 
channels. We say of a slave he is not a freeman, because 
others get his toil, and leave him a very small share. 

What shall we say of a community that gives a few the 
privilege of issuing millions of money, which gets the labor 
of others when issued, and the people pay every year for 
its use $40,000,000 ? This is a large sum and would find 
80,000 homes at a cost of $500 each. This was brought 
about in this manner. Soon after the Revolution, the State 
Legislatures gave bank charters to a favored few at the ex- 
pense of the many. The banks were required by law to 
have a third of their issues in gold. Every ten years there 
have been '""runs" on the bank. When the gold was gone 
then came suspension, which means merchants and others 
who owe the banks must come and pay. The merchant 
sells his soap, sugar, hats, shoes, and clothes for the sus- 
pended money, which he is glad to get. The people are 
glad to get these things. They are what they work for. So- 
ciety has now no money, which brings misery to the daily 
laborer, to those who are in debt, or have taxes to pay. 

The Guernsey Times says : "In Muskingum the sheriff, 
in 1842, sold at auction a wagon for $5.50; ten hogs at 
six and a quarter cents each ; two horses (said to be worth 
sixty dollars each) for four dollars ; two cows for one dol- 
lar each ; and a barrel of sugar for $1.50. In Pike County, 
Missouri, the sheriff sold three horses for $1.50 each ; five 
cows, two steers, and a calf for $3.25; twenty sheep for 
$2.70 y twenty-four hogs for twenty-five cents ; eight hogs- 



1 86 The Laborer; 

heads of tobacco for $5.00 ; three stacks of hay for seventy- 
five cents." Henry Clay tells us, in 1837 the people lost 
in four years by bank failures and depreciation of property 
$782,000,000, or one-sixth of the property of the Union. 
The losses of the country, in 1858, by bank failures was 
nearly the same. By the periodical revulsions we have had 
for ninety years, or the losses or changes that have occurred, 
one part of the community has lost $2,000,000,000. To 
make this subject plainer, we will suppose a person has prop- 
erty to the amount of $1,000, and he owes $100 ; when 
his property is sold at auction, and the property sells for 
$100, it involves a great loss. The person who purchased 
the property, may have earned his money by 100 days' labor; 
the other has lost what may have cost him a i,ooo days' 
labor. The human mind can not tell or describe how this 
land has been blighted by banks of discount, which tempt 
men to run in debt. To the bankers, for encouraging these 
treacherous institutions, the people will have paid in ninety 
years $1,000,000,000. 

Suppose a laborer earns in one year $500, and he saves 
half of it for sickness and age, in two years he has saved 
$500 ; this will keep him two years. If by an inundation of 
paper money the commodities of life become twice as high, 
he has only what will keep him one year. This man has 
labored a day, and he ought to exchange it so as to get a 
day's labor from another laborer. To prevent this is an in- 
jury. The issues of the late war have affected those who 
live by incomes. The money received from interest has 
not purchased half as much as before. The plan of many 
of the Democrats is to issue more paper money, to pay the 
national debt. This will enable a person to pay his debts 
with half the labor. A person sells two barrels of flour for 
ten dollars, and lends the money, when he gets his money, 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 187 

back again it will only purchase one barrel of flour. We 
can judge a person if he is rich by the position he assumes. 
If a man has plenty of money at interest, he will want paper 
and gold money alike in value, so that he can purchase 
much with the interest. If a person is in debt he will favor 
a flood of paper money so that he can pay his debts easily 
At the present time (1868), the currency is all paper, and it 
is to be hoped paper money will never again be founded on 
gold. The past shows how dangerous is a currency based 
on gold, it rises and falls, causing the fortunes and happi- 
ness of men be very uncertain. 

What better money can we make than by pledging houses 
and lands to the authorities. It can be well secured and save 
runs on the banks, and then we will have a uniform cur- 
rency. In Franklin's boyhood books and papers were not 
plentiful. A favorite way to obtain knowlege was by de- 
bate. Franklin started this question : '•• Is the emission of 
paper money safe?'* In 1729, he wrote an essay on paper 
money. The State of Pennsylvania acted on his thoughts; 
and issued <£i5,ooo, then <£30,ooo. In 1736, the assem- 
bly issued .£800,000, or $4,000,000. The money was 
loaned to the borrowers from a loan office. 

Five persons were made trustees of the loan office, under 
whose care and direction the bills or notes were printed ; 
they were of various denominations, from twenty shillings 
to one shilling ; this created no necessity for much silver 
money. The trustees took an oath, and gave security for 
the due and faithful execution of their office ; they were to 
lend out the bills on real security for double that amount. 
The borrowers were to pay the sum in sixteen years, one 
sixteenth was to be paid every year with interest ; the prin- 
cipal was loaned out again to others, and the interest was 
applied to the expenses of the State. The trustees were 



i88 The Laborer; 

taken from different parts of the State, and were to con- 
tinue in office four years, and to account to the committee 
of the assembly. At the expiration of the term they were to 
give up all moneys and securities into the hands of their 
successors before their bonds and securities could be dis- 
charged. This money was in use up to 1774. 

A writer of tWs period says : " Paper money thus lent 
upon interest will create gold and silver in principal, while 
the interest becomes a resource that pays the charges of 
the government. This currency is the stream which con- 
verts all into gold that is washed by it. It is upon this prin- 
ciple that the wisdom and virtue of the assembly of Penn- 
sylvania established an office for the emission of paper 
money by loans." 

Adam Smith says: "The government of Pennsylvania 
without amassing any treasure, invented a method of lend- 
ing, not money indeed, but what is equivalent to money to 
its subjects, by advancing to private people, at interest, and 
upon land security, paper bills of credit, and transferable 
from hand to hand like bank notes, and declared by an act 
of assehibly to be a legal tender in all payments. It raised 
a moderate revenue toward defraying an annual expense of 
$22,000. Pennsylvania was always moderate in her emis- 
sions of paper money, which never sunk below the value 
of coin." 

Franklin states that, "The colony of Massachusetts 
gave bills of credit, bearing interest, for which the people 
loaned coin, and afterward passed the bills. He calls it con- 
venient money, bearing interest while in the pocket, and 
when passed the interest was calculated," 

The citizens of Pittsburg, in 1847, ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ time, 
built water-works; the corporation got a note-plate and 
printed money, which paid the workmen for their labor 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 189 

and circulated as money. These notes were the same in 
appearance as other bank notes; there was written on them, 
^^The city will receive this one dollar in payment for taxes." 
If the water-works cost $100,000, and capitalists had built 
them, they would have done it with credit paper money. For 
the use of this capital the citizens would pay $7,000 an- 
nually, and pay it for generations till the principal was paid. 
This $100,000 cost to print it $200, and why should the 
citizens of this city pay annually $7,000? Are not 100,000 
citizens as rich as 100 bankers, and can they not give se- 
curity to their own money ? Why should these industrious 
iron-workers be guilty of the absurd folly of keeping a par- 
cel of fellows in idleness for supplying some paper money ? 
These notes could be carried in to pay water-rents, and be 
destroyed, or they can be re-issued to pay teachers or city 
officers. In this way the city can have money. 

In olden times cities and governments did more for the 
people than is done now. Men are degenerating. The 
city of Hamburg, to maintain its poor, opened a pawn-bro- 
ker's shop and took goods as pledges. The city, in one year 
made $i6o,ooo. The sale of unredeemed goods increased 
this fund. 

If we had such patriots as Franklin, men who loved the 
country, who had some regard for the humble poor, and 
who did not look on them as things to live on, such men 
would give us a currency that would not fatten idlers to 
riot on the labor of others. Why should not the cur- 
rency pay the expenses as it has done ? Good men yet are 
to be found ; they are modest, unassuming, and never seek 
for office. There are many who would serve the State 
with pride and fidelity as loan commissioners. 

What a happiness it would be if the hard-working, wood- 
chopping, land-clearing farmer could borrow money, on easy 



igo The Laborer; 

terms. How he could furnish his farm ! There is an other 
source of secure and profitable lending — it is the towns that 
want to make improvements, and can give the taxes as se- 
curity. These two — land and taxes— a great State can loan 
on with great safety. 

The county of Miami, State of Ohio, had, in 1854, made 
improvements to the amount of $94,000. First, a union 
school, at a cost of $13,000 ; then a poor-house.^ at the cost 
of $20,000 ; then a jail, at the cost of $30,000 ; and then 
another union school-house, at a cost of $33,000. These 
improvements were made in the space of ten years, for 
which the officers agreed to give as interest $9,400. This 
interest would keep twenty men in idleness. If the State 
had loaned its notes to this county it would have the in- 
terest to pay its expenses. In 1857, ^^^ authorities of the 
town of Cohoes built water works at a cost of $60,000, for 
the use of which they agreed to give annually $4,200, and 
give it for twenty years, the length of time agreed on. In 
this time the citizens of Cohoes will have paid $84,000, in 
interest, which will make the water-works cost $144,000. 
It would have been wise to let the State have this in- 
terest on notes it could issue. It would be wiser still to 
have built them a little every year. 

In one year the United States had a surplus revenue. It 
was divided among the States. The State of New York 
received as its share $3,580,494, which loan commissioners 
lent out for the benefit of the school fund. The State of 
Connecticut sold the lands of the Western Reserve, and 
for three-fourths of a century has loaned the money for the 
benefit of schools. This proves a great State can become 
lenders of money. 

The governor of Ohio, in his message for 1857, ^^Y^ ^^^ 
amount of the state and county taxes were $9,000,000, and 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. igi 

the people of the State of Ohio on $221,000,000 pay in- 
terest. The debts of the State are ^16,402,095 j cities, 
counties, towns are $15,000,000; recorded mortgages are 
$50,000,000; and railroad debts are $50,000,000." The 
interest is $15,000,000. This will make the whole nation 
to pay $150,000,000, interest for their debts. This will 
keep many from productive labor, who could if they were 
farmers find one-third of the nation in food. There are 
some debts on which the State might loan. 

Jay Cooke, a famous banker, has made enormous wealth ; 
he has a summer house among the lakes worth $10,000. 
His home cost more than $1,000,000, and is filled with 
the treasures of art, and all the creations of modern luxury. 
This man has the arrogance and the insolence to tell us in 
his pamplet that "a national debt is a national blessing." 
This book will rank with "Taxation is not Tyranny." 

Andrew Jackson, says : " The paper system being found- 
ed on public confidence, and having of itself no intrinsic 
value, it is liable to great and sudden fluctuations, thereby 
rendering property insecure, and the wages of labor unsteady 
and uncertain. The corporations which create the paper 
money can not be relied on to keep the circulating medium 
uniform in amount. In times of prosperity, when confi- 
dence is high, they are tempted by prospects of gain, or by 
the influence of those who hope to profit by it, to extend 
the issues of paper beyond the bounds of discretion and the 
reasonable demands of business. And when these issues 
have been pushed from day to day, until public confidence 
is at length shaken, then a reaction takes place, and they 
immediately withdraw the credits they have given, and sud- 
denly curtail their issues, and produce an unexpected and 
ruinous contraction of the circulating medium, which is 
felt by the whole community. The banks, by this means. 



r()% The Laborer; 

save themselves, and the mischievous consequences of their 
imprudence or cupidity are visited on the public. Nor does 
the evil stop here. These ebbs and flows in the currency, 
and these indiscreet extensions of credit, naturally engender 
a spirit of speculation injurious to the habits and character 
of the people. We have already seen its effects in the wild 
spirit of speculation in the public lands, and various kinds 
of stock, which, within the last year or two, seized upon 
such multitudes of our citizens, and threatened to pervade 
all classes of society, and to withdraw their attention from 
the sober pursuits of honest industry. 

*•' It is not by encouraging this spirit that we shall best 
preserve public virtue, and promote the true interest of our 
coifntry. If the currency continues as exclusively paper as 
it is now, it will foster the desire to obtain wealth without 
labor; it will multiply the number of dependents on bank 
favors ; the temptations to obtain money at any sacrifice 
will become strong, and lead to corruption, which will find 
its way into your public councils, and destroy^ at no distant 
day, the purity of your government. Some of the evils of this 
system, press with hardship upon a class least able to bear 
them. A part of this currency often becomes worthless." 
This list of the evils of paper mone)^, should warn us never 
to found paper money on gold, but on houses and lands. 

Harper's Magazine, April, 1858, says: "The result of 
our commercial revulsion has been a wholesale confiscation 
of property, and had it been done by government would have 
led to civil war." Robberies are among the risks of bank 
capital. 




CHAPTER IX. 

A CENTURY OF INVENTIONS. 

Want a Motive for Invention — Universal Riches will Prevent Inven- 
tion — Arkwright's Poverty and Invention — Watt*s Improvement 
ON THE Steam Engine- 

" Invent or perish." — Michelet. 




ISITING a State fair and seeing there the contri- 
vances to shorten human labor should convince 
the most unbelieving that the hours of toil can be 
shortened. What an arena of industry is there! Who 
can contemplate such a scene without emotion ? Here are 
monuments to plenty, and the evidence that famine shall 
no more afflict the land. Such a scene would lead us to sup- 
pose that this plenty is universal. It is not so. Cowper, 
when speaking of the plenty in England, makes one excep- 
tion. This painful contrast is to be seen here. He says : 

** From east to west, no sorrow can be found 5 
Or only what in cottages confined 
Sighs unregarded to the winds," 

There is evidence in this fair that the inequalities of life 
will some day or other cease. The changes in the people's 
amusements indicate this. The Romans could find pleas- 
ure in their gladiatorial shows, which were scenes of cruel- 
ty. The Middle Ages had their mock battles and single 
combats, called jousts and tournaments. Henry the VHI 

(193) 



194 The Laborer; '- - ^^ss^sssst: 

paid a visit to the French king. Beneath a canopy of gold 
cloth the two sovereigns met. The gay pageantry displayed 
on that occasion has obtained for the place of meeting the 
name of "The Field of the Cloth of Gold." The time of 
Elizabeth had its field sports, bull and bear baiting, which 
consisted in setting dogs on these poor animals. We have 
cause for congratulation that these scenes have passed away, 
and are superseded by something more ennobling, the sight 
of which is calculated to provoke a spirit that will do some 
good to ourselves and others. 

The youth of this land have the story of "Aladdin and 
his Wonderful Lamp." The story says that Aladdin had 
only to rub his lamp, when, whatever he wished for would 
appear, be it a beautiful mansion, a mine of gold or jewels, 
or a garden full of enchanting scenery. The scenes in the 
State fair are a reality — no conjuration is there. The crea- 
tions of the brains of men are wonderful. 

FrankUn said he would like to see the time come when a 
person could twist more than one thread at a time. He lived 
to see one hundred spun by a single person. At the pres- 
ent time a man and two boys can tend 300 spindles, going 
with three times the speed of a hand-spindle. Since 1760, 
a community of workers each have received machinery to 
assist them to be equivalent to forty persons. 

A State fair is a wonderful display of man's skill. In one 
part of this arena of industry may be seen the stationary 
engine, doing the labor of ten, perhaps a hundred horses. 
How quietly it performs its work ; it never murmurs or tires. 
It is the inanimate slave of man. A few years ago wheat 
was beaten out of the straw by tying two sticks together, 
and then throwing up the wheat in the air and letting the 
wind blow away the chaff. In this manner a person could 
thrash and clean twelve bushels in a day. A thrashing ma- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 195 

machine attended by seven persons will thrash and clean 
700 bushels of wheat in a day. In a State fair it is not un- 
common to see attached to the pulleys, which are moved 
by the engine, three thrashing machines, mills to grind 
sugar-canes, wheat into flour, clay for bricks, and draining 
tiles. In addition to all this, the engine makes shingles, saws 
logs, and splits wood. 

In another part of this arena of industry may be seen ma- 
chines, whose moving power is horses. A machine is to 
be seen that rakes hay, and lifts it into the wagon. A 
load is gathered in five minutes. Another contrivance lifts 
with a horse, rope, and tackle the load into the barn. The 
machinery that has been invented during the last twenty 
years for saving hay, cuts off two-thirds of the labor in the 
hot part of the year. In the fair is exhibited a huge saw 
six feet in diameter; the teeth are six inches wide. With 
this a strong man and horse can saw or trench in the soil 
100 rods in a day. This saves the labor of ten persons. 
The arches or tiles to put in this drain, are made by ma- 
chinery in a rapid manner. 

Seed drilling machines are very numerous and get in the 
seed at the proper period. A person having these has eight 
laborers to work for him. Numerous mowing machines are 
to be seen beautifully polished. One of these can cut down 
more wheat or grass than ten men. Gang plows have been 
invented on which men can ride, and do twice or three times 
as much as with a common plow. Steam plows have been 
invented, one of which has plowed 400 acres of land in a 
season. Corn cultivators have been invented. With the 
aid of these a single man can cultivate sixty acres of corn. 
These implements were unknown a century ago. Time 
would fail to tell the wonders seen in a State fair. It is a 
scene which the nations of antiquity, the Saxons and Nor- 



196 The Laborer; 

mans never saw. This scene is an invention of modern 
times. The fruits and vegetables displayed there vi^ere un- 
known four centuries ago, and have been collected by en- 
terprising navigators, who have given us a more pleasing 
variety of food. 

If Franklin could say in his time '^Want and misery 
would be unknown if all would work at something useful,'* 
what would he say now ? The time has now come, when 
the laborer should work for himself only and it will result 
in the non-workers going to work, who will make such an 
abundance, that men will not torture their brains making 
labor-saving machines. 

That want leads to invention may be proved by Richard 
Arkwright, who was the youngest of thirteen children of 
ignorance and poverty. He never was at school. He was 
a barber and rented a basement, and put out this as a sign, 



A Clean Shave For 
A Penny. 



A barber on the opposite side of the street put out this sign. 

Come to the Subterranean Barber 
AND BE Shaved for a Halfpenny. 

Men are selfish and avaricious. They try to get each other's 
work away, which is not right when we consider how 
much land there is unoccupied. Arkwright was forced to 
quit the business and go to the country and collect hair for 
the wig-maker. His mind seems to have been drawn out 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. igy 

to schemes for the abridgment of labor by machinery, from 
which no change of time or place could divert him from 
making plans or models of what his brain conceived. This 
sometimes interfered with his business, and his wife, con- 
vinced that he would starve his family by scheming, when 
he ought to be shaving, in a fit of anger destroyed his 
models, and annihilated his prospects for wealth and fame. 
It is said he never forgave the ruthless deed, but separated 
from her at once, and nothing would induce him to live 
with her again. 

His thoughts had often been drawn to mechanical inven- 
tions. This led him to abandon his hair speculations, and 
give his mind to the construction of a machine for spinning 
cotton by rollers. His model was patented in 1796. At 
fifty, he applied himself to the study of grammar, and to 
improvement in writing and spelling. He amassed a large 
fortune, and the order of knighthood was conferred on him 
by George HI. 

Arkwright substituted rollers in place of human fingers. 
Before he made his machinery 50,000 people obtained their 
bre^d by working by hand ; after his invention, 2,000,000 of 
persons got their bread from cotton. This miist include the 
families of the cotton-workers. The importation of cotton 
before the invention was annually 2,000,000 lbs. now it is 
500,000,000 lbs. There was 50,000 hand-spindles, now 
12,000,000 machine spindles. The annual value of cotton 
goods ninety years ago was £200,000. The value now is 
.£34,000,000. This invention has made cotton cloth five- 
pence a yard. It was ten times this sum. The people use 
now twenty-six yards where one was used. The annual con- 
sumption is 700,000,000 yards. The quantity sent abroad 
is 560,000,000 yards. In 1825, the spinning machinery of 
Lancashire was computed to be equal to 21,320,000 of 



igS The Laborer; 

hand-spinners. India is the home of cotton and cotton 
cloth, and was obtained from there before its introduction 
into England and America. It has been among us one 
hundred years. 

In 1540, Bernhard Palissey, of France, spent sixteen 
years trying to make enameled pottery. His motive was '^to 
provide a handsome support for his wife and children." He 
was ambitious to be the prince of potters. He succeeded, 
after years of sorrow, difficulty, and trial. To procure 
chemicals his family suffered for the comforts of life. To 
feed his furnaces, he burnt the palings surrounding his house, 
and even its doors. He endured the ridicule of his friends, 
the reproaches of his wife, and the persecutions of his king, 
whose minister put him to death for his Protestant religion. 
The king, to save him, wanted him to change his religion. 
Said Pahssey, ^'I can die." 

Charles Goodyear the inventor of India-rubber cloth, or 
enameled cloth, and many other things of this material, for 
many years suffered the bitterness of poverty while invent- 
ing. His wife used to often say : ^^ Charles, you must pro- 
vide better for me or I will go home." His answer was, "A 
little while longer and we shall have splendid wealth." It 
came ; he triumphed. 

James Watt is another example of the impelling power 
of poverty, and the desire to attain those pleasures that the 
rich gather around them. He was a mathematical instru- 
ment-maker. He removed to Edinburgh. He was not al- 
lowed to start a shop there, for the reason that he bad not 
learned his trade in that city. He was allowed a room in 
the college, where he was called to repair a Savery steam- 
engine. While doing this work he thought he could make 
an improvement which he did, and it brought the engine 
into varied and extensive uses. Previous to this time the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs, 199 

engine was used for pumping out mines. Had Watt been 
rich he would have had no motive to make the improve- 
ments he did. There is such an abundance in the world, 
and the productive powers of man is so great, that riches, 
some time or other will be universal. Riches will be uni- 
versal when universal labor prevails. 

Says a writer, in Harper's ^' History of Inventions : " 
'' The power of steam far surpasses all the fabulous wonders 
which imaginative genius have attributed to the genii of the^ 
East, or the invisible fairies who are made to perform such 
marvels in old English legends. The very elements are 
conquered by this mighty agency ; both wind and tide may 
oppose, but still the vessel plunges onward in spite of all 
opposition, paddling against breeze and billow, like some 
extinct monster of the early world, armed with those sweep- 
ing fins that fill the mind of the geologist with wonder. 
This new-born giant thrusteth his iron arm into the bow- 
els of the earth, and throws up its treasures by thousands 
of tons, emptying the dark mine of its wealth, then leaping 
on the surface, melting with its hot breath the weighty 
metal, and rolling and beating it into massive bars. As if 
struck by the wand of a magician, the iron vessel springs 
out of the shapeless mass of ore, by the power of steam is 
launched upon the deep, and stands, as if in mockery, be- 
side its oak-built rival, every rib of which was the growth 
of a long century. The very leaves that rustle in our hands 
while we read were formed by it, and every letter in the 
large sheet of daily news bears the imprint of its majestic 
footstep. 

"Even printing, the grandest of all human inventions, was 
but in comparison the slow copying of the clerk, beside this 
ready-writer, which now throws off its thousands of perfect 
impressions within the brief space of a single hour. It 



200 The Laborer; 

grinds the bread we eat, and gives all the variety and beauty 
to the garments we wear. It stamps the wreath of flowers 
upon the flimsy foundation of cotton. And yet the whole 
of this moving power can be stopped by a child." 

Dr. Lardner says : '^A pint of water may be evaporated 
by two ounces of coal, into two hundred and sixteen gallons 
of steam, which will lift thirty-seven tons a foot high. A 
pound of coke (charred coal), burned in a locomotive, will 
evaporate five pints of water, and draw two tons on a rail- 
road one mile in two minutes. 

"A train of cars, weighing eighty tons, and containing 
240 passengers, drawn by an engine, have gone from Liver- 
pool to Birmingham, a distance of ninety-five miles, in four 
hours and a quarter, consuming two tons of coke, the cost 
of which is two and a half pounds ($12 J). To carry these, 
twenty stage coaches would be required. It would take 
600 horses to accomplish this journey in twelve hours. 

••^In the draining of the Cornish mines the economy of 
fuel is attended too, and coal is there made to do more 
work than elsewhere. A bushel of coal raises usually 
40,000 tons of water a foot high." 

Nations that have no machinery have no coal fires. The 
mines require constant pumping to prevent them from fill- 
ing with water. The same engine that pumps out the mines 
lifts up the coal to the pit's mouth. The railroads take 
coal to every part of England. A single blast of pow- 
der will detach more coal than a laborer can loosen in a 
week. Captain Thomas Savery devised, in 1698, a ma- 
chine for drawing water from the mines. 

The French assert that the Marquis of Worcester took 
the idea of the steam engine from Solomon De Caus, who 
published a book at Frankfort, in 16 15, on steam as a 
power. A letter teaches us he went to Cardinal Richelieu 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 201 

who dismissed him as a madman wichout hearing him. He 
still importuned the Cardinal, who ordered him to prison. 
He had been there three years and a half, when the Marquis 
saw him. De Caus said, '^ I am not mad ! I have made a 
discovery that will enrich any country that puts it in opera- 
tion." His lordship returned, sad and thoughtful, and said : 
''He is indeed mad; misfortune and captivity have destroy- 
ed forever his reason. You have made him mad ; when 
you cast him into this dungeon you cast there the greatest 
genius of his time, and, in my country, instead of being im- 
prisoned, he would have been loaded with riches." 

The Marquis of Worcester, living during the civil wars 
of Charles I and his parliament, took sides with the king, 
and lost his fortune, and was imprisoned in Ireland. He 
managed to escape to France. He became a secret agent 
afterward in England for the king; he was detected and put 
in the Tower. When cooking his dinner there, he ob- 
served that the steam forced upward the lid of his pot. It 
occurred to him that this power might be applied to useful 
purposes. When he got his liberty he went to work and 
made a machine, which he described in his book. 

The steam-engine is a succession of improvements from 
the time of De Caus to the time of Watt. Those who 
have made changes on the engine are the Marquis of Wor- 
cester, Savery, Papin, Newcomen, Brindley, and Smeaton. 
Their contrivances seem to have been how to get the pis- 
ton-rod back again after the steam had lifted it up. This 
was done by a boy who opened valves or cocks. To give 
the reader an idea how the engine of these men worKed, 
take an iron barrel and partially fill it with water, under the 
bottom of the barrel kindle a fire, and you make steam ; on 
the top open a valve and the steam escapes. To get serv- 
ice from this escaping steam construct another iron barrel, 



202 The Laborer; 

closed at one end and a rim on the other, smooth and turn- 
ed straight within. In this barrel you want a movable, 
flat, edge-turned piece of metal. If you let in steam at one 
end its expansibility lifts up the sliding plate, till it is stop- 
ped by the rim. A contrivance is used to cut off the supply 
of steam. If water is thrown on the outside of the barrel 
containing steam, the steam will become condensed, or be- 
come water again ; this leaves a vacuum and causes the flat 
piece of metal to fall down ; by the pressure of the atmos- 
phere. That the atmosphere has power is evident, when 
set in motion it throws down trees and houses, and moves 
great ships. When in a state of rest the atmospheric weight 
is fifteen pounds to the square inch. To reduce this prin- 
ciple to utility, you must put a rod in this moving piece of 
iron and fasten it to a pump-handle ; steam will force up 
the handle, atmospheric pressure bring it down. This en- 
gine required a boy to open cocks, and force water into 
the cylinder to condense the steam. 

'' Humphrey Potter, a mere lad, who was occupied in at- 
tending to the cocks of an atmospheric engine, becoming 
anxious to escape from the monotonous drudgery imposed 
upon him, ingeniously contrived the adjustment of a number 
of strings, which, being attached to the beam of the engine, 
opened and closed the cocks with the most perfect regu- 
larity and certainty, thus rendering the machine totally in- 
dependent of manual superintendence. The contrivance 
of Potter was soon improved upon. The whole apparatus 
was subsequently, about the year 1718, brought into com- 
plete working order by an engineer named Beighton. 

"Watt's first improvement was an alteration of the mode 
of condensing the steam. Instead of using the method de- 
scribed, he had a condenser attached to the cylinder, and 
he still further improved upon it by surrounding it with a 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 203 

tank of cold water, which was drawn from an adjoining re- 
servoir by the pump of the engine. An improvement ef- 
fected in the steam-engine, was the custom adopted by 
Watt, of closing the top of the cylinder, the piston being 
made to work through a neck called a stuffing-box, which 
was rendered steam-tight by being lined with tow saturated 
with grease, which rubbed and greased the rod and made it 
move easily. 

" By this alteration the elastic force of steam was used, 
as it is now, to impel the piston downward as well as up- 
ward. The machine hence became a steam-engine instead 
of an atmospheric one, with that continuous action from 
which so much benefit has been enjoyed by this simple 
device. 

*' Notwithstanding these important advantages. Watt and 
Boulton were compelled to make large sacrifices to bring 
their engines into use, as will be seen by the proposition 
of Mr. Boulton to the Carron Company : — ^We contract to 
direct the making of an engine. ***** \Yg ^Jq j^q^ 
aim at profits in engine-building, but shall take out our pro- 
fits in the saving of fuel; so that if we save nothing, we 
shall take nothing. We will guarantee that the engine so 
constructed shall raise at least 20,000 cubic feet of water 
twenty-four feet high, with each hundred weight of coal 
burned.'" 

Those who obtained these engines commuted the saving 
of the coal, which Watt's engine saved over the others, to 
an annual rent. The lessees of the Chacewater mine paid 
an annual rent-charge for three engines $12,000. This 
inventor had a splendid rural home, and spent the last years 
of his life in literary pursuits. In Handsworth Church he 
is represented sitting in a chair, with compass and paper, in 
the act of drawing. His fame will be as enduring as the 



204 The Laborer; 

the marble in which his effigy is chiseled. He has given 
his name to the steam-engine that may never be laid aside. 
We can form some conception of the magnitude of his 
gift to man, if w^e will try and raise coal by hand. An 
opening is made in the earth, it soon fills up with water ; a 
windlass when turned with human strength, will some time 
or other draw out all the water; then the digging is re- 
sumed, after much lifting of mud and water the coal-vein is 
reached. The future labor is now to lift up the coal and 
water, it may be done with horse-power, it takes much hu- 
man labor to procure food for the horses. Without steam- 
power the bushel of coal will be equal or worth a day's labor. 
Now a day's work of a common laborer will get twenty 
bushels of coal. 

The fame of the inventions and experiments that had 
been made in France and Scotland, in navigating with steam, 
induced Fulton to cross the ocean to get these inventions 
on our long rivers. In 1775, John Fitch made a steam-boat, 
with which he made eleven voyages from Philadelphia to 
a town distant eleven miles. Washington and his compan- 
ions were invited to ride in the boat. The maker of this 
boat was poor, his machinery was badly made, and he was 
unable to repair his boat. 

Fulton got Watt and Boulton to make his machinery, 
with money obtained from Livingston, who was an em- 
bassador to France. Both saw on the Seine a discarded 
steam-boat. Unitedly they perfected a steam-boat on the 
Hudson in 1807. That Fulton was poor may be inferred 
from this narrative. A gentleman from New York was in 
Albany when the Clermont first arrived there. He found 
that the boat was a general object of wonder, but few were 
willing to trust themselves on it as a means of conveyance. 
He, however, determined to go in this boat to New York. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 205 

In the cabin he found a plain gentleman, quite alone, and 
engaged in writing. This was Fulton, and this conversa- 
tion took place : — 

Stranger. Do you intend to return to New York with 
this boat? 

Fulton. We mean to try and get back with her, sir. 

Stranger. Can I have a passage ? 

Fulton, Yes, if you choose to take your chance with us. 

Six dollars was paid as the passage money. With his eye 
fixed on this money, which he retained in his open hand, 
Fulton remained so long motionless, that the stranger sup- 
posed he had miscounted the sum, and asked, ^^Is that 
right, sir?" This roused the projector from his reverie, 
and, as he looked up, the big tear was brimming in his eye, 
and his voice faltered as he said — "Excuse me, sir, but 
memory was busy as I contemplated that this is the first 
pecuniary reward that I have ever received for all my ex- 
ertions for adapting steam to navigation. I would gladly 
commemorate the event over a bottle of wine with you. I 
am too poor for that now, yet I trust we shall meet again 
when this will not be so." They did meet again after four 
years, and the wine was not spared. 

Fulton observes : "When I was building my first steam- 
boat at New York the project was viewed with indifference 
and contempt or as a visionary scheme. My friends, in- 
deed, were civil, but they were shy. They listened with 
patience to my explanations, but with a settled cast of in- 
credulity on their countenances. As I had occasion to pass 
daily to and from the building-yard while my boat was in 
progress, I have often loitered unknown near the idle groups 
of strangers, gathered in little circles, and heard various in- 
quiries as to the object of this new vehicle. The language 
was uniformly that of scorn, or sneer, or ridicule. The 



2o6 The Laborer; 

loud laugh often rose at my expense ; the dry jest ; the wise 
calculation of losses and expenditures, the dull but endless 
repetition of the Fulton folly. Never did a single encourag- 
ing remark, a bright hope, or a warm wish cross my path. 
Silence itself was but politeness veiling its doubts, or hiding 
its reproaches." 

Fulton's biographer says : " Before the boat had made 
the progress of a quarter of a mile the greatest unbeliever 
was converted ! The man, who while he had looked on 
the expensive machine, thanked his stars that he had more 
sense than to waste his money on such idle schemes, 
changed the expression of his features as the boat moved 
from the wharf and gained her speed; the jeers of the igno- 
rant, who had neither sense nor feeling enough to repress 
their contemptuous ridicule, were silenced for the moment 
by a vulgar astonishment which deprived them of the 
power of utterance, till the triumph extorted from the in- 
credulous multitude which crowded the shores, was shouts 
and acclamations of congratulation and applause ! 

'^ The whole of the progress up the Hudson was a con- 
tinued triumph. Those on board of the several vessels 
which she met looked with astonishment at the progress of 
a ship, which appeared to be a thing instinct with life rather 
than a fabric moved by mechanical means. It was said 
that to them she had a most terrific appearance. The 
first steamers used pine wood for fuel, which sent forth a 
column of ignited vapor many feet above the flue, and 
whenever the fire was stirred, a galaxy of sparks flew off, 
and in the night had a very beautiful appearance. Not- 
withstanding the wind and tide were adverse to its approach, 
they saw with astonishment the vessel was rapidly coming 
toward them ; and when it came so near that the noi«e of 
the machinery and paddles was heard, the crews in some 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 207 

instances, shrunk beneath their decks from the terrific sight, 
and left their vessels to go on shore, while others besought 
Providence to protect them from the approach of the mon- 
ster, which was marching on the tide, and lighting its path 
by the fire which it vomited." 

Mr. Stephens, of Hoboken, soon after this launched a 
steam-vessel which was taken to the Delaware by the way 
of the ocean. His son improved on Fulton's models, and 
gave to vessels which he built that beauty of form they 
now possess, and a capability of cutting through the water at 
the speed of thirteen miles an hour. From that time 
steam-boats have multiplied, till all large rivers are studded 
with them. The Marquis of Worcester tells us, in 1655, 
in an obscure statement of a vessel moved by steam, ^'which 
should, if need be, pass London Bridge against the current 
at low water." Twenty years after Captain Savery tried 
to urge a vessel by means of an atmospheric engine. He had 
no success. At the same time, Denis Papin, a French phi- 
losopher, tried to prove in theory that steam would move a 
boat. Haifa century, later, Jonathan Hulls took out a pa- 
tent for moving vessels by steam. His plans failed. 

At length, in 1774, the Comte D'Auxiron, a French 
nobleman, succeeded in the construction of ,a boat, which, 
when tried on the Seine, near Paris, moved against the 
stream, though slowly, the engine being of insuiScient 
power. In his efforts he was assisted by a countryman of 
his, named Perier, who, in the year following placed a steam 
boat on the river, with an engine of one-horse power. His 
means were also insufiicient. The Marquis de Jouffroy, on 
the Saone, at Lyons^, tried a boat which excited much at- 
tention. The dreadful disturbances in France compelled 
him to leave his native land. On his return, in 1796, he 
learned that M. Des Blancs had obtained his plans and got 



2o8 The Laborer; 

them patented. The government would give no redress to 
the marquis. Robert Fulton was at that time e^cperiment- 
ing in France, and had adopted a series of float-boards, that 
were fastened perpendicular on an endless chain, which was 
stretched over two wheels; these were fastened on each 
end of the boat ; the working of this chain was the same as 
a belt over two pulleys ; a part of these float-boards were 
always out of the water. Fulton afterward used paddles. 
Des Blancs complained of the infringement on his patent; 
Fulton showed him the difference between the two ma- 
chines, and offered him a share of the gains, if he would 
bear part of the expense. No agreement was made. 

In 1784, Rumsey was the rival of Fitch. He made a 
steam-boat on the Potomac. The coal used was half a 
bushel in an hour. When the boat was loaded, with three 
tons' weight, its speed was four miles an hour. In 1793, 
Rumsey went to England ; assisted by others he had a ves- 
sel on the Thames that went against the wind and tide at 
the rate of four miles an hour. 

In i787,Wm. Symington made, in Edinburgh, a boat that 
attained five miles in an hour. In 1788, Mr, Miller had 
an engine of twelve-horse power made and put in a boat, 
which caused it to go with a speed of eight miles an hour. 
Mr. Miller spent a handsome fortune in obtaining this pub- 
lic benefit. Symington still continued to persevere, and in 
1802, he made for Lord Dundas a steam-tug that pulled two 
vessels containing seventy tons of goods. Fulton saw the 
vessels of Symington, and had been on a successful voy- 
age with him in Scotland. Fulton made notes of every 
thing that was shown him, and it appears he was let into all 
of Symington's secrets. Every-thing connected with steam 
was explained to Fulton. Mr. Henry Bell, of Glasgow, was 
the medium of communication between Fulton and the con- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 209 

trivers and improvers of the steamboat. Fulton received 
from Mr. Bell drawings of the boat and engines vi^hich they 
had used. Sometime after Fulton had received these draw- 
ings, he wrote to Mr. Bell, to say he had constructed a boat 
from them, which prompted his correspondent to turn his 
attention to the introduction of steam-navigation in his own 
country. He set to work and made a model, which he put 
into the hands of John Wood & Co., who built for him a 
boat of forty tons burthen, with an engine of three-horse 
power. In 18 12, Mr. Hutchinson had a boat made with an 
engine of ten-horse power, that carried one hundred pas- 
sengers to Greenock, twenty-seven miles, in three hours. 

The history of steam-navigation is a long series of ex- 
periments on which labor, ingenuity, money, and time, 
have been spent, impoverishing and making the heart sick 
by the failure of the plans of those who engaged in the en- 
terprise of giving the world steamboats. 

If we could visit an English monastery in the olden time, 
we should see the patient monks sitting at their desks, with 
ink, pens, brushes, gold, and colors, adding letter to letter, 
and word to word, in thick, angular, black-letter characters, 
from month to month, never ceasing except to eat, sleep, and 
attend prayers. Their work is beautiful, and will, when 
seen, call for our admiration. These written books were to 
survive when the hand that wrote them was paralyzed in 
death. It was not running writing as is used now. Every 
letter had many strokes, or it may have been done with a 
brush, and it may have taken six or ten times the labor that 
writing now requires. The initial letters were highly orna- 
mented with flourishes. This was, no doubt, done by those 
who had the taste for it. Where Italic letters are used now, 
the manuscript letters were done in red ink, which are as 
bright as they were five hundred years ago. The parch- 



210 The Laborer; 

ment was as fine and as thin as paper. It was very smooth, 
uniform, and white. It was made from skins. 

This method of communicating knowledge was confined 
to a few. The cheap and rapid multiplication of books has 
been accomplished by applying steam-power to printing. 
In ancient times the thinking men got a glimpse at print- 
ing. The Romans could take movable type and stamp clay. 
For centuries before the Christian era, the Chinese used, no 
doubt, blocks or pages of characters. The printing of 
playing-cards was done before printing words or thoughts ; 
this may have done much toward suggesting the idea of let- 
ter-making, or movable type. 

However much printing may do to record the deeds of 
nations, or keep from forgetfulness the virtues and achiev- 
ments of men, it has not recorded its own origin, but left 
it in much obscurity. In 1499, the '*■ Cologne Chronicle," 
forty-four years from the advent of printing to the world, 
gathered all it could relating to this wondrous art. The 
only source from which it could draw its materials was the 
traditions of men, and from two recorded lawsuits which 
the inventors of printing had. 

John Gansfleisch was born in 1397. When a youth 
he lived in Mentz^ with a family of the name of Guttenberg, 
whose name he adopted, as it was a custom. He became 
implicated in one of the insurrections against the nobility, so 
frequent at that time, and which resulted in the freedom 
of the commercial classes of Germany. This revolt was 
not successful, and he went to Strasburg. It is supposed 
he engaged in the occupation of taking off other's writings 
from carved blocks. His enterprising intellect was directed 
to some means of hastening the process. A thought broke 
upon him, the full development of which was to produce 
such glorious results. The supposition came on him that 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 21 t 

if the letters he saw upon the block could be separated from 
each other, they might be put together again in different po- 
sitions, and form other words ; and thus there would be a 
power of endless combination with a small stock of mate- 
rials. How he did this we have no certain means of know- 
ing, as he would keep this discovery to himself. 

He returned to Mentz or Mayence, where he met a 
wealthy goldsmith of the name of Faust ; and, together, 
they entered upon an undertaking to supersede the laborious 
occupation of the manuscript writer. Between them they 
hit on the expedient of casting types in metal, it being a 
more durable substance, and likely to increase their profits. 
Faust had in his employ a young man of the name of Peter 
SchoefFer, who suggested the stamping of letters in lead, 
so that they could be changed or renewed. This was ac- 
complished, and the process of printing obtained. The part- 
nership of these three men was begun in 1440 ; and was 
not productive till ten years after. 

Letters at first were made of wood, which were not very 
enduring. SchoefFer discovered a method of molding let- 
ters in metal, which so pleased Faust that he gave him his 
only daughter in marriage. In 1458, Guttenberg retired 
from the concern from a want of harmony. They com- 
pleted several works of importance, among them a Bible. 
Bibles were made so rapidly that these men were said to be 
in league with the devil. The storming of Mentz, in 1462, 
by an enemy, scattered the workmen. Printing was com- 
menced in Italy, in 1466; in Paris, in 1469; in London, 
in 1474; in Massachusetts, in 1639; in Virginia, in 1739, 
and in Cincinnati, in 1793. 

The press was a screw, and made of wood, till the Earl 
of Stanhope, a nobleman of great ingenuity, and an amateur 
printer, had an iron lever and press made, in 1790. In this 



212 The Laborer; 

year, W. Nicholson took out a patent for printing books, 
paper-hangings, calico, etc., on a cylinder, and the motive 
power was to be steam or water. Lord Camelford, his 
patron, died,v/hich prevented the machine from being made. 
Konig, a German, came to England and tried to apply 
steam-power to a common press, without any success. He 
then applied himself to cylindrical printing, and succeeded in 
printing in an hour i,ooo copies. He was attended by two 
boys. In i8ii,the '■'New Annual Register" was printed by 
steam, Mr. Nicholson may have helped Konig. He gave 
his drawings to the public. An agreement was made with 
Konig to make for the '^Times'' paper two presses. On 
the 28th of November, 18 14, this paper told its readers, 
that they were for the first time reading a paper printed 
by the power of steam. 

In order to show how steam-power saves labor, look at 
"The Cincinnati Commercial." Its owners have to supply 
to their customers 35,000 daily papers, or near that num- 
ber. This paper is ^"^ set up " by thirty " compositors." 
On a hand-press two men will throw off 1,000 papers in 
ten hours. To supply the demand would require thirty- 
five presses, and 1,000 compositors or type-setters. One 
set of hands set up the copy. Then it is multiplied thirty- 
five times for the rest, who set up matter for the presses 
to work next day. At night the number of papers required 
are done. The first set of compositors, by having a small 
"take," need only be half an hour in advance of all the 
rest. 

What mighty results come from steam working for us. 
After the thirty printers have done their work, four stereo- 
typers take and double it, which is done in this manner: 
Three sheets of a peculiar kind of paper are pasted to- 
gether ; it is laid on a page of the type, and then beaten 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 213 

gently with a brush till the paper fills up the crevices of the 
type, the form is laid on a steam-heated stone, a powerful 
screw presses the soft paper on the face of the type, and in 
ten minutes it is hardened ; this paper sheet is put in a 
mold, and the melted metal is poured in. The casting is 
formed so as to fit the cylinder. The Commercial uses 
two presses, which makes the stereotypers do the labor of 
thirty compositors. In six hours these four men have cast 
sixteen pages of the Commercial. If stereotyping were un- 
known, this paper would require sixty compositors. 

The metal pages go to the basement press-room. One 
of these cylinder presses gives 12,000 impressions in an 
hour, the other 8,000. If one of the monk scribes could 
see this revolving printing machine, he would be speechless 
with wonder for some time. The large machine is thirty- 
two feet high and forty feet long. It is fed by eight persons. 
The papers are folded by machinery. A machine will fold 
10,000 papers in an hour. The compositors, proof-readers, 
stereotypers, folders, and pressmen of the Commercial office 
number, perhaps, sixty persons. These working ten hours a 
day will produce as much writing as 6,000,000 of the monk- 
ish writers. A compositor will set up six of these pages 
in a day. A writer can do the same amount of writing. A 
printer can bring to help him machinery to multiply his 
work to an enormous extent. 

The invention of stereotyping is an important one. It is 
to cast a page of type, so that it will be solid, an eighth of an 
inch thick. In 1725, Wm. Ged, of Edinburgh, made an 
arrangement with the University of Cambridge to cast 
Bibles and Prayer-Books. It received so much opposition 
from the workmen, that it was discontinued. In 1804, ^^is 
art was brought into use again. This plan is used for books: 
The face of the type is oiled, plaster of Paris is mixed with 



214 The Laborer; 

water till it is as thick as cream, then it is poured on the 
type. To keep it from running off a frame is put around the 
edge of the page, which makes the plaster to be half of an 
inch thick. A screw is at each corner of the frame to lift it 
up. The cast is put in a flat pan, the lid is fastened on ; it is 
put in a cauldron of melted metal. When filled up it is 
allowed to stand in water till cooled. The plate is shaved 
on the back, then it is picked^ which means the bad letters 
are to be repaired, or others inserted. One molder, one 
caster, and two others will finish lOO plates in a day. 

A cast plate taken from a type page of this book will 
weigh one pound, and cost fifty-five cents, as wages are 
high on account of the abundance of paper money. A page 
of this book in type will weigh seven pounds and will cost 
$3.85. The type-setting adds fifty cents more to the page. 
When the pressman makes up the "form," it saves his time 
to handle only 400 lbs in place of 2,800 lbs. The page of 
type is liable to be broken, or, lose a part of its letters, the 
type page requires very careful handling. 

Twenty years ago electrotyping was applied to printing. 
This art takes beeswax and melts it with other substances. 
By means of heat this wax flows level on a plate, and it is 
placed on pages of type and wood-engravings ; then it is put 
when cold, under a very powerful press. The impression is 
put in a trough containing sulphuric acid, in which has been 
dissolved pieces of copper. A galvanic battery causes the 
copper to deposit on the wax. The result is an indestructi- 
ble copper page, or an engraving that is hard and will not 
wear out like a wood-engraving. This invention has set 
aside the costly copper engraving. Messrs. O'Ferral and 
Daniel, of Piqua O., wish to advertise a new agricultural ma- 
chine ; they will send a drawing to a wood-engraver, for an 
engraving he will charge near $20. The electrotyper will 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 215 

reproduce it for fifty cents a copy, which, when multiplied, 
can be sent to every paper in the State. The initial letter, 
head, and ending of these chapters are electrotype engraved. 
Machinery, when used on women's shoes, enables a man 
to sew a pair of soles on in three minutes; and a pair of 
good 'Masting shoes" can be made, by a division of labor, 
by each workman, in twelve minutes. 

Furniture making is not the laborious business it was. 
A table-frame can be made in twelve minutes, that used to 
take five hours by hand labor. It is painful work to plane 
hard and knotted wood. The planing machine takes the 
cross-grained oak, gnarled ash, curled maple, and tough 
walnut, and planes them so accurately that it can not be at- 
tained by hand. The face of a board, twelve feet in length, 
can be planed in a minute. It used to take a day to plane, 
tongue, and groove fifty floor boards ; now machinery will do 
this to 1,000 boards in a day. A century ago a saw-mill was 
unknown. Timber was sawn by hand over a pit by two 
persons; one above, the other under the log. 

Machinery has been introduced into the tinner's trade. It 
does many things that once were done by hand. To make 
a plate, a dipper, a basin, will require much marking, clip- 
ping, and soldering; by steam machinery each of these, and 
other things, too, can be made at a single stroke. 

Aided by steam a workman can make in, a day, ten car- 
riage wheels. It will take a day to make a carriage wheel 
by hand. Plow handles can be made so fast with steam 
that a man can make 100 smooth, bent handles in a day. 

Steam helps the blacksmith in a wonderful manner. He 
does not have to heat and pound his scraps together, to 
make a fire-shovel. By railroad his scraps are taken to 
the rolling-mill, where they are made into iron sheets of va- 
rious thicknesses, or into bars, round, oval, and flat. These 



2i6 The Laborer; 

make the forming of the shovel an easy task. Steam-power 
rolls out the railroad-tie, clips the massive bar, hammers 
out the ponderous anchor, and shapes the little nail. 

When your ancestors were fighting to be free from Eng- 
land, a noble Englishman invented the moving rest, that 
holds the cutting point to the revolving surface of a steam- 
boat shaft, that is held in a lathe. This contrivance saves 
the workman from standing and holding his tool to what is 
turning. This gives leisure for reading. So does the iron 
planer, it saves men from "chipping" and "filing." 

Steam cuts the edges of books with great rapidity. Book- 
binder's tools twenty years ago were simple. The hand- 
knife would scarcely cut a dozen pages. Six of these books 
are put under the steam-moved knife, and their edges are cut 
in an instant. Steam now makes paper very rapidly. 

The New England Indian had no iron. He peeled birch- 
bark off the trees with his hands to make a house. He burned 
down the trees to have fire. His food and clothes had to be 
sufficient, or he would perish from the earth with want. 

The living of some of our people is as precarious as the 
Indian's. Steam is making its encroachments, it mixes and 
bakes bread, does washing, wood-sawing, and needle-work. 
These things make the Hving laborer feel sad ; he feels he is 
not wanted here. The difficulties of obtaining employment 
are increased by doing every thing by steam. We ought to 
live easy and free from care with such a power to work for 
us. Suffering is going to teach the American people how 
base rulers have acted to let speculators have public lands. 




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CHAPTER X. 



MERCHANTS AND LAWYERS. 




Merchants are the Founders of Cities — A Cause of the Overthrow of 
Slavery — Merchants are too Numerous — The causes why Lawyers 
Exist — The Lawyers are too Numerous — An injury to Society. 

** Do you want any needles, any thread, any lace for your cape.*'-SHAKSPEARE» 
" A Lawyer takes your estate from your enemy and keeps it himself.* —Erskine. 

I ABOR is made the positive condition of man*s ex- 
istence. Labor is a decree binding on all. From 
this there is no escape. A life of toil is binding 
on all animated nature, from the stupendous whale that 
dives in the ocean, to the ephemeral insect whose exist- 
ence is but for a single day. All men have the same form 
and appearance : it follows all men ought to labor. As all 
men are the same in their wants and conditions, all ought 
to have the same revi^ards for their labor, and an equal 
right to the earth, in which are the means of happiness. If 
a man has to labor for himself and another, he has to labor 
twice as hard, or twice as long. In civilized society as it 
progresses, few have to maintain many. 

Those v^ho seek for easy work do an injustice to those 
who do the hard work. It should be borne equally alike by 
all. There seems to be a disposition among the humble 
classes to dispense with retail merchants, and to divert the 
wealth that flov^s into the coffers of the merchant into their 
own slender purses. Merchants have exercised a tremen- 

(217) 



2i8 The Laborer; 

dous influence on this earth. The time may come when 
the humble workers will break up their power. It can 
not be that hundreds of thousands of bales of paper are 
converted into newspapers, and then scattered over the land, 
each of which contains the wholesale price of the necessa- 
ries of life, and not teach the working people to combine to 
get them at cost price. 

Eight centuries ago the merchant in England was des- 
pised by the lords of the manors ; he went from place to 
place with his goods, and was often robbed, or paid a large 
tribute or toll to be exempt from pillage. He settled the 
towns, and gathered around him the men of toil and sorrow. 
These became opulent by engaging in manufactures and 
commerce. The favor of these merchants was courted by 
kings and lords, to gain the ascendency over each other. 
These sent deputies to London, who at first sat at the foot 
of the House of Lords. These deputies were put in a 
room by themselves. Merchants and manufacturers havq 
become titled lords, and have purchased manors and manor 
houses. William Pitt came from a family of merchants. 
The Peel family came from a calico printer, and own the 
Drayton manor. 

Ricardo, a Jewish banker, had a way of "watching the 
turn and variations of the [money] market." This watch- 
ing yielded him millions of dollars, with which he bought 
the estate of two Norman families, Honeywood Yates and 
a Scudamore. These estates give a rent of $50,000 a year. 
Holland, one of Baring's partners, has bought an estate of 
Lord Somers, for $4,000,000. The same lord has sold an 
estate to a Birmingham banker, of the name of Taylor, for 
$3,500,000. Mr. Drummond, a banker, bought an estate, 
pulled down the manor house, and blotted out the memory 
o( the Goodshalls, Mr. Tinkler, a powder-maker, got the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs, 219 

old mansion and estate of the Duchess of Marlborough. 
Mr. Laing, a West Indian merchant, has a place once 
owned by Sir Wm. Temple. Alexander Baring has the 
mansion and estate of the Duke of Bolton, and also the 
noble mansion, park, and estate of Lord Northington. Sir 
Thomas Baring has succeeded the Russells to the estates of 
Stratton and Micheldover, which were once owned by King 
Alfred. It has been computed that the Barings have swal- 
lowed up more than thirty of the estates of the small nobil- 
ity. These sharks that have devoured so many fish, can 
yet be destroyed by the working people, if they will only 
act soberly and prudently. 

There seems to be a mighty change coming over the 
English working people : they are forming partnerships to 
carry on their trades; others are taken into partnerships 
by their employers, who give them a share of the profits. 
The greatest change of all is to buy the goods of the whole- 
sale merchant, and then divide them without using mer- 
chants. This plan uses no bankers. 

The most remarkable case of co-operation is that of the 
S^^" Equitable Pioneers' Society of Rochdale." "=^g 
This is in England, and was commenced in 1844, by some 
forty poor and humble working-men, with less than ten 
dollars in their treasury, and an income of two pence in a 
week from each shareholder — its object being that of pe- 
cuniary benefit and improvement of the social and domes- 
tic condition of its members. From this simple beginning 
it has grown to have seven departments, and the capital is 
now $75,000, and its shares are five dollars, of which 
$18,000 are in the mill. 

The pioneers have incurred no debts and made no losses. 
Their aggregate dealings have amounted to $1,500,000, 
They have never had a lawsuit, and nearly a hundred per- 



220 The Laborer; 

sons are employed by the society. Twelve are employed 
in the store. Over the store is a reading-room of papers, 
and a library, containing 2,200 books, for the families of the 
members. Toad Lane is crowded with cheerful co-oper- 
atives ; as much as $2,000 are taken in a single day and 
night. Says a writer : '' It is not the brilliancy of commer- 
cial activity, in which the reader will take any interest; it 
is the new and improved spirit animating this intercourse of 
trade. Buyer and seller meet as friends. Toad Lane, on 
Saturday night, is as gay as the Lowth Arcade in London, 
and ten times more moral. 

*•' These crowds of hard-working men once never knew 
when they had good food ; their dinners were adulterated ; 
their shoes let in water too soon; their coats shone with 
deviPs dust, and their wives wore calicoes that would not 
wash. These now buy like millionaires, and get as pure 
food as the lords. They are weaving their own stuffs, mak- 
ing their own shoes, sewing their own garments^ grinding 
their own wheat, slaughtering their own cattle, buying the 
purest sugar, and the best tea and coffee. The finest beasts 
of the land waddle down the streets of Rochdale, for the 
consumption of flannel weavers and cobblers. 

" When did competition give poor men these advantages ? 
And will any man say the moral character of this people is 
not improved under these influences? The teetotalers of 
Rochdale acknowledge that the store has made more men 
sober than all their efforts have done. Husbands, who never 
knew what it was to be out of debt, and poor wives, who, 
during forty years, never had a six-pence unmortgaged in 
their pockets, have now little stores of money sufficient 
to build a cottage. In their own market there is no dis- 
trust, no deception, no adulteration, and no second price. 
Those who serve neither hurry, nor flatter. They have but 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 221 

one duty to perform — that of giving full weight, fair meas- 
ure, and a pure article. In other parts of the town where 
competition is the principle of trade, all the preaching of 
Rochdale can not produce effects like these." 

The "London Morning Star" gives the following inter- 
esting account of a co-operative experiment in England, 
which has been productive of excellent results, and saves 
twenty per cent, of family supplies: ^' Of all the branches 
of the civil service the Post-office is the most enterprising, 
and it was in this department a co-operative movement be- 
gan. In 1865, the increased dearness of living was press- 
ing severely on those with fixed incomes. Half a dozen 
members of the Post-office determined to try whether, by 
buying in large quantities, and dividing the articles so bought 
among themselves, they could not get supplied more cheap- 
ly than in the ordinary manner. In order that the pur- 
chases be made on the lowest terms, it was settled that all 
paymlsnts should be in ready money. 

"The experiment was commenced on a small scale, with 
fifty pounds of tea. Each individual received a share of 
tea, which he paid for. It was found that a shilling was 
saved on a pound. Whole chests were obtained, and the 
consumers increased rapidly. Other articles were also ob- 
tained. In the course of a month a little society was at first 
formed, and, after much anxious deliberation as to whether 
the expense could be met, a small store-room near the of- 
fice was obtained, so as to be easy of access. Wholesale 
houses agreed to let the members have, for ready money, 
goods at reduced prices, on condition that they call on cer- 
tain days, and at stated hours. 

" From a small beginning this supply association went on, 
till it had several rooms, in which were hosiery and station- 
ery. The amount of the sales in one year was $100,000. 



222 The Laborer; 

There was divided 50,000 lbs of tea, 20,000 lbs of cof- 
fee, 180,000 lbs of sugar, 20,000 lbs of candles, 23,000 
lbs of rice, 12,000 lbs of soap. This association num- 
bers 4,000 members, and they have physicians, lawyers, bro- 
kers, and architects, who charge lower rates to each other. 
These statements show that, by the co-operation of consum- 
ers, the cost of family supplies may be reduced one-fifth. 
Similar experiments have recently been made in France 
with the same good results." 

There are many American mechanics who earn ^1,000 
in a year ; by adopting this plan $200 a year can be saved. 
This, in ten years, will give $2,000, which will obtain a fine 
house and furniture. Americans can see the injustice of 
slaves supporting masters, they can not see the injustice 
they do themselves by keeping merchants. In the streets 
of Cincinnati, in the fall of 1867, men offered the fore- 
quarters of beef for five cents a pound, and the hind-quar- 
ters for six. In the market beef sold from ten to twenty 
cents a pound. It seems the Englishman buys the fat ox, 
hires the butcher to kill him, and distributes the meat. Is 
not this evidence that the laborer will prevent the merchant 
from buying any more baronial halls or manor lands. 

In 1867, dressed hogs sold for seven and a half cents a 
pound in Cincinnati. The pork merchants buy these and 
cure them ; the retail dealers charge for this meat in the 
form of hams, lard, and bacon, from eighteen to twenty- 
five cents a pound. As the present generation do not 
know how the people lived thirty years ago, it may not be 
amiss to tell them. In those days men did not live in cel- 
lars and garrets. The cellar was a store-room for meat, 
apples, and potatoes. The meat, when cured, had a piece 
of wood attached to it, on which was carved the owner's 
name, who sent it to the public smoke-house, the owner of 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 223 

which charged two cents for smoking a ham. The wife 
and children went and gathered a load of apples, or twenty 
bushels at a cost of twenty cents a bushel. The farmer 
brought to the town family a winter's supply of potatoes, 
without the merchant's profits. A barrel of cider cost a 
dollar, which made vinegar for a year. At the present time 
the merchant fills his cellar with potatoes, at a cost of a 
dollar a bushel ; they are sold, too often, to the improvident 
laborer for $1.25 to $2.00 a bushel. This was the price 
at the gathering time in 1867. In the spring the price was 
$2.00. Apples sold at the same rates. 

The ''North British Review," November, 1852, said: 
'^The number of retail trades and shop-keepers is out of 
proportion to the requirements of society, or the number of 
the producing classes. There are in many places ten shop- 
keepers to do the work of one, such at least is Mr. Mill's 
estimate. Now these men, industrious and energetic as 
they are, do not add to the wealth of the community; they 
merely distribute what others produce. Nay more, in pro- 
portion as they are too numerous do they diminish the 
wealth of the community. They live, it is true, many of 
them, by snatching the bread out of each other's mouths ; 
but still they do live, and often make great profits. 

''These profits are made, by charging a per centage on 
all articles they sell. If, therefore, there are two of these 
retail dealers to be supported by a community when one 
would suffice to do the work, the articles they sell must 
cost that community more than needs be the case, and so 
far the country is impoverished by supporting one unpro- 
ductive laborer too many. Any one who has examined in- 
to the subject is surprised to find how small a portion goes 
to the producer or importer, and how large a portion is ab- 
sorbed by the distributer." 



224 The Laborer; 

There is another movement in England worthy the at- 
tention of the American who sells his labor, on which the 
employer frequently makes one-half of the amount of his 
wages. Thomas Hughes says: ''That by far the most 
important question arising, on the occasion of the recent 
gathering of the Social Science Congress at Manchester, 
is co-operation, a term which expresses a fair compromise 
between capitalists and laborers, whose contests for so many 
years in England have been severe and expensive to both. 
Co-operation, within the last twelve months, has taken a 
new start in England. 

'' The antiquated trammels in which the law bound all 
industrial enterprises in favor of great capitalists, were only 
finally broken through in 1865. In that year a short act 
was passed, for further amending the law of partnerships, in 
to which was slipped a clause, enacting that paying work 
people or agents by, a share of the business, instead of fixed 
wages, should not constitute such work people or agents 
partners or enable them in any way to interfere with the 
management of the business. 

"Immediately after the passage of this act, the firm of 
Briggs & Son, very large coal owners in the West Riding 
of Yorkshire, converted their business into a joint stock as- 
sociation, and declared that their work-people should be 
henceforth entitled to a share of all the profits made beyond 
ten per cent., which sum has been estimated to be a fair 
interest on capital in coal mines. This step was taken at 
the suggestion of Mr. Currer Briggs, the eldest son of Mr. 
Henry Briggs. The latter gentleman had incurred a great 
amount of odium with his men. He received letters threaten- 
ing his life. He was denounced in the men's union, where 
it passed into a proverb that ' coal owners were devils, and 
Briggs is the chief of devils.' In 1863, things had come to 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 225 

such a pass that he had to work under the protection of the 
county police. His capital yielded him and sons only four 
per cent. He proposed to sell the pits, and take their capi- 
tal where they could get better interest for it, without con- 
stant quarreling. The son said : ' Let us try the plan of 
giving the workmen a share in the profits before giving up/ 
The father and the other partners consented. The capital 
of the concern was divided into shares, small enough for the 
work people to buy with ease. They were invited to buy, 
and at the same time, whether as shareholders or not, every 
man who had worked for a certain time was entitled to a 
bonus out of the surplus profits, after the ten per cent, on 
the capital was paid, in proportion to his wages earned in 
the mines. 

" The result of the first year's working has been such a 
complete success as to almost stagger those, who for many 
years, advocated such plans as the only method of securing 
peace between employers and employed. The company 
has actually earned nineteen per cent, clear profit. These 
results were celebrated at the town hall, in Leeds, on the 
evening before the meeting of the Social Science Congress. 
The colliery hands, nearly 1,400 strong, came in two special 
trains, and met the Briggs family in the hall. 

"The workmen gave some silverware to Mr. Currer 
Briggs, which was paid for by subscription. Several of the 
leaders of the miners, who had been the most bitter oppo- 
nents of Mr. Briggs in the old days, stood upon the plat- 
form, and spoke from their hearts as to the blessings which 
the change had wrought and would bring. Every man 
was full of loyalty to the concern, which he now felt to be 
his own, and there was a resolution to double the bonus dur- 
ing the coming winter. It is believed that the immense 
industries of England will be peacefully united." 



226 The Laborer; 

These plans show that the Englishman will some time or 
other arrive at liberty and independence, though he has no 
fourth of July orators or writers on liberty. His savings 
will enable him to go to some foreign country where land 
is free. It is possible, by virtue and intelligence, for the toil- 
ing men of England to emancipate themselves and leave the 
merchants and bankers to wait on themselves, and cultivate 
their newly-acquired manor lands. 

The Americans have need of co-operative stores. Are 
not many of them the subjects of severe toil. Why should 
they give ten dollars for a clock, when it costs at the fac- 
tory two dollars and twenty-five cents, and the carriage to 
Ohio is fifty cents. This was ten years ago. There are 
women's stuffs, having French fancy names, made in Lowell 
for twenty-two cents a yard, for which the retail buyer pays 
sixty cents. It becomes Americans to use the learning, they 
have acquired at such an immense public cost to learn the 
cost of the many articles they use, and not be the victims of 
the thinking merchants. Printers, with their ink and paper, 
will enlighten men on the cost of production of commodi- 
ties, if men will find the light. 

All merchants do not gain splendid wealth ; some gain 
very bitter poverty in old age, and wear thread-bare coats, 
and feed their children on bread and molasses. This is 
often contrasted with the house, garden, lawns, and fruit 
trees of a less gifted person, the labor of a carpenter and 
farmer, who did not understand the mysteries of trade, or 
the art of keeping books by single entry. The two Pres- 
ton barbers began to compete with each other. The one 
who offered to shave for a halfpenny to do his best could only 
earn thirty pence a day, which did not obtain good and suf- 
ficient food. It often happens that the merchants compete 
with each other. One richer than all the rest destroys the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 227 

others. At one time a merchant in Cincinnati, supposed 
to be worth a great deal more than a million, had a neigh- 
bor merchant, who was supposed to be worth less than a 
million. Each commenced to put. forth arts to get each 
other's custom, which resulted in selHng at cost and below 
cost. It was a strange sight to see thousands of people at 
a palace of trade, waited on by hundreds of clerks. The 
conclusion of this was the little merchant retired broken and 
discomfited. The mischief did not end here ; all the other 
stores in the city who sold dry goods, had to sell at prices 
that yielded no profits. A winter at this gave no rent, no 
salary, no money to pay debts, and caused many to go under 
the stream of competition, who, if brought to the surface, 
will appear in new characters as clerks; when beauty and 
activity is gone, they become street merchants, venders of 
stockings, shoe laces, papers, apples, and figs. 

Many a one in early life has become a merchant, and 
had visions of the pleasures of wealth, such as riding in a 
carriage and receiving the homage of men ; it has ended in 
becoming the sweeper of a crossing, or the owner of a pea- 
nut stand. Happy are those who fail early; they avoid ca- 
lamities like these ; it gives them time to plant a vine, and 
enjoy the fruit thereof. It has been computed that all the 
merchants fail except six in the hundred, which must be a 
cause of sorrow. Merchants have erected walled towns, 
which have become to panting, fleeing slaves a city of refuge 
from a master's fury. Merchants have done all the good 
they can ; it is time their costly power was broken 

Merchants brought tulips from Constantinople, in 161 1. 
In Holland these became a source of speculation. Chim- 
ney-sweeps, servants, and noblemen went into a mania on 
buying and selling tulips. The demand for them became 
great, they kept rising in value. The first buyers made large 



228 The Laborer; 

fortunes. The prices went up as high as they could, and 
then went down. The last buyers lost their money. For 
a tulip root twelve acres of land was given. Another gave 
a carriage, two grav horses, and the harness for a root. A 
species of gambling came from this. A nobleman says to 
a merchant, '*'! will give for a tulip three months from now 
1,000 florins." At that time it was worth 8oo florins, at 
the time of delivery tulips were worth 1,200 florins [$300]. 
The merchant gave the nobleman 200 florins ; if the price 
was 800 florins the merchant received 200 florins. There 
are now men who gamble in stocks, it shows how corrupt is 
human society or these men would be at productive labor, 
at something that will make men happier. 

Mr. Holland, in his book called Plain Talks, says: ^'A 
stock exchange is a paradise of shirks [men who don't work], 
a place where not the first particle of wealth was ever pro- 
duced or ever will be produced ; where great games of 
chance are played in a strictly legal and moral way ; where 
men combine to break down the credit of worthy associa- 
tions ; conspire to give a fictitious value to things that are 
of no value, and make a business of cheating each other 
and swindling the world. 

"I can perceive no difference between the professional 
gamblers in stocks, and any other professional gamblers. 
Both are men who produce nothing; who play at games of 
skill and hazard for money ; who never win a dollar that 
does not leave some other man poorer. The commercial 
exchanges are points of attraction for the shirks of the 
world. They stand ready to grasp at some portion of the 
profits of trade — men who minister to the vices of the rich, 
who speculate in the necessaries of life, who invent fancy 
schemes of plunder, who eat the subsistence of needle- 
women, who stand at the counter instead of plowing." 




This man was once a merchant, and failed. He now sells hot potatoes to poor 
street boys. He might have been a happy farmer, if the speculators in wild lands 
were unknown. Gen. Washington had 200,000 acres, Morris & Co., 6,000,000, 
Albert Galatin and others, 225,000 acres of land for profit or rent. This made 
them oppressors of the working-men, and gave them power to found banks, con- 
struct toll-roads, build bridges, and possess railroads. If the " Fathers " had given 
to each mechanic a town-lot, to each farmer as much land as he could cultivate, 
the inequalities that now exist would not be seen. The rulers of this nation, by 
selling lands to those who will not cultivate them, make the work-people slaves. 

6 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 229 

The law has been regarded as the standard by which to 
measure all ofFenses and irregularities, as affording infor- 
mation to the different members of community, respecting 
the principles which shall be adopted in deciding their ac- 
tions. One result of the institution of the law is, that the 
institution, when once it is begun, can never be brought to 
a close. Edict upon edict is heaped up, volume to volume 
is added. It is said the pubHshed laws of England are con- 
tained in forty folio volumes, to read which will take a life- 
time. Every body in England is supposed to know the law ; 
many suffer from not knowing it. To many its stern code 
ot laws is darker than the Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

^^ There is no maxim more clear than this, 'Every case 
is a rule in itself.' It seems to be the business of justice to 
distinguish the qualities of men, and not confound them. 
As new cases occur, the law is perpetually found deficient. 
Lawyers have not the faculty to look into the future, and 
can not define that which is boundless. Hence lawyers 
are continually wresting the law to include a case which 
was never in contemplation by its authors, or else get laws 
made to suit the case. The quibbles of lawyers, and the 
arts by which they refine and distort the sense of the law 
are proverbial. 

''The education of a lawyer enables him, when employ- 
ed by a prosecutor, to find out offenses the lawmaker never 
meant ; to discover subterfuges that reduce the law to a 
nullity. The laws, in order to escape evasion, are frequently 
tedious, minute, and circumlocutory. The volume in which 
justice records her prescriptions, is forever increasing, and 
the world will not contain all that might be written. 

"The consequence of the infinitude of law is its uncer- 
tainty. Laws were made to put an end to ambiguity, and 

that each man mip;ht know what he had to expect. Two 
21 



230 The Laborer; 

men would not go to law unless they were both promised 
success by their lawyers. Law was made for a plain man 
to understand. Yet lawyers differ about the results. Does 
it make the case any the less uncertain, if it had been trusted 
to a jury of neighbors with the ideas they entertained of 
natural justice ? Lawyers absurdly maintain that the ex- 
pensiveness of law prevents the multipHcation of suits; 
when the true source is the uncertainty of the law, which 
is a code none can master; a labyrinth without an end ; it is 
a mass of contradictions that can not be disentangled. Study 
will enable a lawyer to find plausible, perhaps, unanswer- 
able arguments for almost any side of any question. It will 
be the utmost folly to suppose that the study of the law can 
lead to knowledge and certainty. 

^' The task of the law is to describe what shall be the ac- 
tions of men, and to dictate discussions respecting them. 
Law says it is so wise, that it can not draw additional knowl- 
edge from future circumstances, and that future knowledge 
which may be acquired shall have no effect. Law tends to 
fix the human mind in a stagnant condition, and substitute 
duration in the room of unceasing progress. 

^^ If a code of laws is wrong, a lawyer is a dishonest man, 
a subject for censure and regret. Men are the creatures of 
circumstances under which they are placed. To be sur- 
rounded by vice is to be vicious. To be dealing in quibbles, 
false colors, and sophistry can not fail to make lawyers lose 
the generous emotions of the soul, and the discernment of 
rectitude. The more successful he is in quibbling the worse 
he is tainted with evil. A lawyer may be full of sublime 
virtues, in time he becomes inconsistent and accessible to 
a bribe. 

"A lawyer designs to plead no cause that is unjust, and 
use no arguments that are not truth, but strip law of its am- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 231 

biguities, and talk rationally. Still he is a pernicious mem- 
ber of society. He retards the progress of mankind, de- 
fers the advent of a sounder policy, and renders mankind 
satisfied with imperfection and ignorance. In a word, if 
there were no lawyers men would plead their own causes, 
and justice would be easily attained. 

^^The law is wrong in exercising a jurisdiction upon the 
circumstances of the case. Men are not wanting whose 
ideas of right and wrong are as correct as the law, and who 
can come to the same conclusion as the learned judge. The 
law is called the wisdom of ages. What arrogance ! Law 
is a compound of passion, timidity, jealousy, monopoly, and 
a lust of power. The wisdom of ages has to be cor- 
rected every year, its ignorance pointed out, its intolerance 
made easy. 

" Men having reason given them, why should they not 
obey that ? The Creator has engraven on the mind a code 
of right and wrong. The mountains of parchment to which 
he refers only impose on him. They are the remains of 
superstition and ignorance. Frequently it happens a piece 
of property has been willed to a person ; another claims it. 
It is put to the decision of a court, and it is appealed to 
another court. On the one side is cheating; on the other 
anguish and misery, baffled hopes, fruitless years of expec- 
tation, which consume the strength of men in lawsuits. 
Trifles make endless controversies.'"^ 

*' I propose only to consult the volume of nature ; I knew, 
to a certain degree, what was the task I undertook. All 
the evidence I collected bore immediately upon the point 
under consideration. But now the principal point becomes 
involved with innumerable subordinate ones. I have no 
longer merely to be satisfied, by a long compendious course, 

"5^ This language is taken from Wm, Godwin's "Political Justice." 



232 The Laborer; 

to arrive at that which is right. With laws I am concerned 
with the construction of phrases, the removing of what is 
doubtful, the reconciling of contradictions, the ascertaining 
of the mind of the composer ; and for this purpose the con- 
sulting of history, the ascertaining of the occasions of the 
institutions, and even the collecting, as far as possible, every 
anecdote that relates to their origin. I am concerned with 
commentators as much as I am with the text, not merely 
to assist my own deductions, but because they have a cer- 
tain authority fettering and enchaining my deductions. I 
sought it may be repose for my indolence ; but I have found 
an eternal labor. I have exchanged a task comparatively 
easy for difficulties unconquerable and endless. 

^' Such is the mode in which a lawyer forms his creed. 
It is necessarily captious and technically pregnant with 
petty subtilties and unmeaning distinctions. But the evil 
does not stop here. It would be a mistake, peculiarly glar- 
ing and gross, to suppose that a lawyer studies the law prin- 
cipally that he may understand it. No, his great object is 
to puzzle and perplex. His attention is given to the inquiry 
how he may distort the law to suit the cause in which he 
is engaged. This is a necessary consequence of one man 
being hired to tell another man's story. The principal, 
however, erroneous he may be, is expected to express 
himself in good faith. The agent is careless himself about 
the merits of the cause. He is indifferent whether his client 
is right or wrong. He will plead for the plaintiff to day^ 
and the opposite side to morrow. He stands up before a 
judge and jury, on the most important questions, upon 
which are the peace, the lives, and the liberties of familes. 
If he has an honest tale to tell, it is well. But if he has the 
weaker side, he undertakes by a solemm argument to mis- 
lead, if he is able the court and the jury. He justifies him- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 233 

self thus ; if men are to have their causes plead by others, 
the greatest delinquent is entitled to the same privilege. To 
reject his application would be to prejudice his cause. 

"Law, we are told, is that by which one man is secured 
against the passion and injustice of the other. It is an in- 
flexible and impartial principle, holding out one standard 
of right and wrong to all mankind. It has been devised 
by the wisdom of sages, in the tranquillity of the closet, not 
to accommodate particular interests, but to provide for the 
welfare of the whole. Its view is sublime and universal. 
It can not be warped to suit temporary and personal ob- 
jects of men. 

"It teaches every man what he has to depend on, not 
suffering himself to be condemned at the caprices of his 
judges, but by maxims already promulgated and made 
known to all. It gives a fair warning to one party of the 
punishment which a certain conduct will incur. It affords 
also the other party a remedy against the usurpation of his 
neighbor. 

"If law be, to this eminent extent, the benefactor and 
preserver of mankind, must it not reflect some of its own 
luster upon its professors ? What character can be more 
venerable than an expounder of the law, whether we apply 
this to the judge, who authoritatively declares its meaning 
from the bench 5 to the pleader, who takes care to do justice 
to himself, or to the less brilliant, but not less useful func- 
tions of him who, from his chamber, communicates the re- 
sults of the researches of years tcf the chent, who would 
otherwise be unable to find his way amidst the complexities 
of statutes, glosses, and precedents ? 

" We will not inquire into the soundness of this panegyric, 
which has been so often produced on the institutions of the 
law. All that our present subject requires of us is to as- 



234 The Laborer; 

certain what sort of character is the study of the law h'kely 
to entail on its professors. The business of a man is to in- 
quire into the dictates of reason and the principles of justice. 
The business of a lawyer is of a very different character; 
he has nothing to do with generous and impartial reason; 
his concern is with edicts and acts of parliaments. He is 
to consider these as the standards of right and wrong. He 
must expel from his mind all notions of independent inves- 
tigation, or he must submit to the necessity of maintaining 
that to be right, because it is conformable to law, which he 
knows to be wrong and irreconcilable to justice, 

'••This is too plain to need any profound elucidation, that 
laws, in their great outline, are the prejudices of a barbarous 
age^ artificially kept alive and entailed upon a civilized one. 
Laws that are of long standing derive their character from 
principles and systems that are exploded and out of use. 
Such of them as are of recent date have often originated in 
temporary objects, in anti-social passions, in the intemper- 
ate desires of giving strength to monopolies, and firmness to 
the usurpations of the few over the many. From this het- 
erogeneous mass the lawyer extracts his rules, which he 
thinks is for the good of men. Nothing is more usual 
among persons of this profession, than to see them express 
their sensation by a look of contempt and astonishment if 
men doubt the infallibility of the law, or question the truth 
of its decisions. 

^-'The human mind is to bring every principle of ethics 
within the scope of its own examination ; to derive assistance 
from every means of information, oral or sciptory ; but to 
admit nothing on authority that supersedes reason. If I 
would estimate the means of human happiness ; if I would 
judge truly of the conduct of my neighbor, or know rightly 
how to fashion my own, I must inquire deeply, not super- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 235 

ficially, I must enter into the principles of things, and not 
suffer conclusions to steal on me unawares, I must proceed 
step by step ; and then there will be some chance that the 
notions I form will be found harmonious with each other. 
But when, instead of adopting my opinions with this degree 
of caution and dehberation, I am induced to admit, at a 
single stroke, whole volumes of propositions as unapproach- 
able and decisive, I resign the most beneficient prerogative 
of the human understanding."* 

Mr. Maxwell says: "In every school district, in Nor- 
way, is a Court of Reconciliation. Every law-suit is 
brought before the justice in person ; no lawyer is allowed 
in this court. The parties state their complaints, and the 
justice notes the facts of both sides, considers and arranges 
the matter, and proposes what is fair in the case. If ac- 
cepted, it is entered in a Court of Record. If appealed, it 
goes to the district court. The writings of the justice are 
taken as evidence, and none other. If the justice was right, 
the party appealing pays the cost of appeal. This system 
of minor courts prevents unnecessary litigation. The case 
can go to another court, on the same evidence, without any 
trick or circumlocution from either party. There is no 
chance for pettifoggers, the banditti of the bar. No de- 
luding of the clients, or mystifying the judge or jury by 
sharp practice. Two-thirds of the suits are settled in this 
court. Of the remainder, not more than one-tenth are ever 
carried up. The judges are responsible for errors of judg- 
ment, delay, ignorance, carelessness, or prejudice. They 
may be summoned and tried in a superior court, and, if con- 
victed, are liable for damage to the injured party. The 
lawyers of Norway have integrity and learning." 

* The reader is kindly referred to Wm. Godwin*s " Enquirer ** and ** Political 
Justice" for a continuation of this subiect, from which this is abbreviated. 



236 The Laborer; 

There exists in large cities in England courts of recon- 
ciliation, where three magistrates persuade men to be re- 
conciled with as little cost as possible. This is a conse- 
quence of being ruled by a king, who promotes economy, 
so as to have a greater share of the plunder. Where the 
people are all sovereigns, they plunder each other. 

Blackstone says: ''Laws are to prevent what is wrong, 
and promote what is right.'' This language is sublime if it 
be the truth ; it seems not to be so. To prove this, take 
two examples; the year 1857 ^^^ ^"^ ^^ universal bank- 
ruptcy made so by paper-money makers. This caused the 
writer unwillingly to have some leisure to observe the ad- 
ministration of justice. In the court at Schenectady was 
tried a man for going into the woods of his neighbor, on 
Saturday afternoon, at five o'clock, and taking a quarter of a 
cord of wood. On Sunday, the man who took the wood 
paid a friendly visit to the owner of it ; the owner of which, 
the next day, found out his loss, and told his neighbor to 
bring the wood back again, who then offered a dollar and a 
quarter for it, which the owner refused to take, and in a 
spirit of revenge had his neighbor charged with stealing. 
The witnesses testified that these two men were friendly, 
they exchanged labor with each other, and borrowed each 
other's tools. To try this cause required twelve jurymen, 
two advocates, three judges, two constables, a sheriff, and 
a fire-maker. The jury could not agree, and call the 
fault stealing. 

The court, the next day, tried a man for getting into a 
sleigh, and driving the horse seventeen miles. This man was 
drunk ; and when his reason returned, he told his brother 
what he had done, who returned with the sleigh and offered 
the owner six dollars to be reconciled, which he would not 
take ; he must have the man prosecuted for stealing. The 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 237 

same number of men were employed in trying this cause. 
The jury could not agree, and call this horse stealing. The 
two trials took each a day, and cost the county $150. Is 
not this a robbery on the people ? It is time it were ended ! 

The writer, with four others, made for two employers a 
set of wood patterns for a hot air-furnace. These were to 
be made in a month. The person who had the work done 
was taken with the cholera, which prevented him from 
overseeing us. When he saw the work, some part of it had 
to be changed. The man for whom the work was done ex- 
amined it well, and took it away. The makers asked for 
$150, their due, a part of which was for making the changes. 
The man refused to pay, and the debt was taken to a ma- 
gistrate. The defendant had for a witness his foreman, who 
said the v^ork was bad. A rival pattern-maker, having feel- 
ings of animosity, said, " I have made changes on the work, 
and it is not workman-like." The judge could not decide. 
Had a pattern-maker been chosen a judge, each plead his 
own cause, each witness told his tale, the result would have 
been, the two contractors would have got some pay. No 
cheating with such a judge. The work could not have 
been done any better. The Anglo-Saxons had their dis- 
putes decided by the witnesses. Have we improved ? 

Dean Swift, in his "Gulliver's Travels," which he wrote 
to satirize the follies of mankind, in a conversation with the 
people he visited, speaks of lawyers thus : " There was a so- 
ciety among us, bred up from their youth in the art of prov- 
ing, by words multiplied for that purpose, that white is black, 
and black is white, according as they are paid. To this 
society all the rest of the people are slaves. For example, if 
my neighbor has a mind to my cow, he has a lawyer to prove 
that he ought to have it from me ; I must then hire another 
to defend my rights, it being against the rules of the law 



238 The Laborer; 

that am man shall speak for himself. Now, in this case, I 
who am the rightful owner, lie under two great disadvan- 
tages: first, my lawyer, being practiced almost from his cradle 
in defending falsehood, is quite out of his element when he 
would be an advocate for justice, which is an unnatural of- 
fice he attempts with awkwardness, if not with ill will. A 
second disadvantage is, that my lawyer must proceed with 
great caution, or else he will be reprimanded by the judges, 
and abhorred by his brethren as one that would lessen the 
practice of the law. I have but two methods ro preserve 
my cow. The first is to gain over my adversary's lawyer by 
a double fee, who will betray his client by insinuating that he 
has justice on his side. The second way is for my lawyer 
to make my cause appear as unjust as he can, by allowing 
the cow to belong to my adversary -, and this if skillfully 
done, will certainly bespeak the favor of the bench. 

"These judges are persons appointed to decide all contro- 
versies of property, as well as the trials of criminals, and 
are picked out from the most dextrous of lawyers, who have 
grown old or lazy, and have been biased against truth and 
equity, and lie under such a fatal necessity of favoring op- 
pression, fraud, and perjury, that I have known some of 
them refuse a large bribe from the side where justice lay, 
rather than injure the faculty by doing any thing unbecom- 
ing their office. It is a maxim among lawyers, whatever 
has been done before may be done legally again ; and there- 
fore they take special care to record all the decisions former- 
ly made against common justice, and the general reason of 
mankind. These, under the name of precedents, they pro- 
duce as authorities to justify the most iniquitous opinions, 
and the judges never fail of directing accordingly. In plead- 
ing, they studiously avoid entering into the merits of the 
cause ; but are loud, violent, and tedious in dwelling on all 



A Remedy for his Wrongs, 



239 



circumstances which are not to the purpose. For instance, 
in the case ah'eady mentioned, they never desire to know 
what title or claim my adversary has to my cow ; but 
whether the said cow was red or black; her horns long or 
short; whether the field I graze her in be round or square; 
whether she is milked at home or abroad ; what diseases she 
is subjected to, after which they consult precedents, ad- 
journ the cause from time to time, and in ten, twenty, or 
thirty years, come to an issue. 

^^It is likewise to be observed that this society has a pe- 
culiar cant or jargon of its own that no other mortal can 
understand, and wherein all their laws are written, which 
they take care to multiply — whereby they have wholly con- 
founded the very essence of truth and falsehood, of right 
and wrong — so that it will take thirty years to decide if the 
field, left me by my ancestors for six generations, belong to 
me or to a stranger three hundred miles off^. 

^'In the trial of persons accused of crime against the State, 
the method is much more short and commendable ; the first 
judge sends to sound the disposition of those in power, 
after which he can easily save or hang a criminal, strictly 
preserving all due forms of law. 

'••Here the listener interposed and said : ' It is a pity that 
creatures, endowed with such prodigious abilities of mind, as 
these lawyers must certainly be, and were they not rather 
encouraged to be the instructors of others in wisdom and 
knowledge.' In answer to which I assured him, that in 
all points out of their own trade, they were usually the 
most stupid, ignorant generation among us, the most des- 
picable in common conversation, avowed enemies to all 
knowledge and learning, and equally disposed to pervert the 
general reason of mankind in every other discourse as in 
that of their own profession." 



240 The Laborer; 

This description may be distorted and extreme. It can 
not be denied that the lawyer does mischief. With what 
eagerness did one try to .prove my employers were not en- 
titled to the balance due on the patterns. Each of us had 
sixty dollars for our month's work, which was obtained from 
the defendant in advance. The employers had nothing for 
their rent, lumber, skill, and time. We had in the shop the 
patterns of a furnace to guide us, made by the rival witness. 
I saw his work was nailed together and broken. I dove- 
tailed together what I did, so that it could not break. Dove- 
tailing was done where it could be. It was afterward ascer- 
tained the rival witness made changes on the patterns to the 
amount of twelve dollars. 

Jefferson said : "A court of justice was an old English 
aristocratic institution, and a natural enemy to the common 
people." The census book says we have " 33^980 lawyers, 
123,378 merchants, 184,485 clerks." It would be a good 
plan to set the lawyers and nine-tenths of the merchants at 
something else. These have abilities to clothe and feed as 
many as 10,000,000 of people. 

Dean Swift said : " He who made two grains of corn, two 
blades of grass grow where one grew before, would deserve 
well of mankind, and do more service than the whole race 
of politicians. In England is produced three times more 
food than the people consume. The greater part goes to 
foreign countries. In return we obtain diseases, vices, and 
follies. The rich men enjoy the poor man's labor, who lives 
miserably on small wages that they may live plentifully." 




^^P^^^ { -^^^^^BSSS^^^^^^g^^ IS^^^ m^^^^Si^ 



CHAPTER XI. 

PHYSICIANS AND MINISTERS. 

John Wesley's Remedies for Sickness — The Opinions of the Democratic 
Review — Jefferson — Priessnitz — Bulwer — Havelock — Volney — The 
Early Christians — St. Chrysostom — Tertullian — The Moravians. 

** Medicine is the destructive art of healing diseases." — Lord Byron. 
*' Early piety, if persisted in, prepares for a good old age." — J. A. James. 




OHN WESLEY believed that every disease under 
the sun could be cured with cold water, herbs, and 
the juices of fruits. He cared for the bodies of men 
as well as their souls. He gave to his humble followers and 
to the w^orld a book, containing 450 pages [i2mo Pica], 
called " Primitive Physic, or a Natural Method of Curing 
Diseases." This book enumerates 290 diseases, and gives 
925 remedies. Dr. Abernethy tells us the older a medical 
practitioner gets the fewer medicines he uses. He tells us 
of an apothecary who took a room in London, and from six 
black bottles he compounded and dispensed medicines for 
the poor, from whom he made an enormous fortune. A 
prescription in the time of James I was a very long list of 
strange incongruous substances, under the name of boluses 
and doses, v^hich, w^hen compared with the few and simple 
drugs the physician uses now, gives hope that future gener- 
ations in a century or two, will use no medicines at all. 

It is some consolation to know that the formidable array 
of cures and receipts given us by Mr. Wesley, have been, by 

(241) 



242 The Laborer; 

modern innovators reduced to six, the juices of fruits, one 
internal and four different outside applications of water. In 
his book he says : " It is probable physic, as well as religion, 
was, in the first ages of the world chiefly traditional — 
every father delivering to his sons what he had received 
concerning the manner of healing hurts, the diseases of cli- 
mate and season, and the medicines of the greatest efficacy. 
This is the method of preserving the healing art among the 
Americans [written in 1747] to this day. Their diseases 
are few and do not often occur, by reason of continual ex- 
ertion and temperance. If any are sick or torn by a wild 
beast, the fathers tell what remedies to apply. It is seldom 
the patient suffers long — these medicines being quick as well 
as generally infallible. 

*"' Has not the Author of Nature taught us many medi- 
cines by accident ? Thus, one was walking in a pine grove, 
at a time when many were afflicted with sores in the mouth. 
A drop of gum fell from one of the trees on the book he 
was reading ; this he applied to one of the sore places. Find- 
ing the pain ceased, he applied it to another place, which it 
healed. Numberless remedies have thus been casually dis- 
covered in every age and nation. 

'^Physic was wholly founded on experiment. The Eu- 
ropean, as well as the American, said to his neighbor, "Are 
you sick? Drink the juice of this herb, and your sickness 
will be at an end. Are you in a burning heat? Leap into 
that river and sweat till you are well. Thus ancient men, 
having a little experience, joined with common sense, and 
common humanity, cured both themselves and their neigh- 
bors of most of their distempers. 

'^In process of time, men of a philosophical turn were 
not satisfied with this. They began to inquire how they 
might account for these things. How such medicines 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 243 

wrought such effects ? They examined the human body in 
all its parts; the nature of the flesh, veins, arteries, nerves; 
the structure of the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, and bow- 
els They explored the several kinds of mineral and vege- 
table substances. Hence the whole order of physic. Men 
of learning began to set experience aside; to build physic 
from hypothesis ; to form theories of diseases and their cure, 
and to substitute these in place of experiments. 

"As theories increased, simple medicines were disused; 
in the course of years, the greater part were forgotten. In 
room of these, abundance of new ones were introduced by 
speculative men, and these more difficult to be applied, as 
being more remote from common observation. Hence rules 
for the application of these. Medical books were multi- 
plied, till at length physic became an obtuse science, quite 
out of the reach of ordinary men. 

**• Physicians now began to be held in admiration, as per- 
sons who were something more than human, and profit at- 
tended their employment as well as honor ; so that they had 
now two weighty reasons for keeping the bulk of mankind 
at a distance, that they might not pry into the mysteries of 
the profession. To this end they increased their difficul- 
ties by design. They have filled their writings with terms 
unintelligible to plain men. They affected to deliver their 
rules, and to reason on them in an obtuse and affected 
manner. These introduced into practice compound medi- 
cines, containing so many ingredients that it was scarce pos- 
sible for a common person to know which wrought the cure. 
They used exotics not understood, chemicals that can only 
be used with the advice of the physician. Thus honor and 
gain were secured — a vast majority of mankind being cut off 
from helping themselves or their neighbors, or once daring 
to attempt it. 



244 The Laborer; 

"There have not been wanting lovers of mankind who 
have endeavored to reduce physic to its ancient standard, 
to explode all hypotheses and fine-spun theories, to make it 
intelligible as it was, having no mystery in it, so that every 
man of common sense may prescribe to himself and neigh- 
bor. A mean hand has here made some little attempt to- 
ward a plain and easy way of curing diseases. I have con- 
sulted common sense, experience, and the interests of man- 
kind. Is it not needful, in the highest degree, to rescue 
men from destruction, from wasting their fortunes, from 
sickness and pain, from throwing away their lives, health, 
time, and substance. 

"The method of compounding medicines can never be 
reconciled with common sense. Experience shows that 
one thing will cure most disorders as well as twenty. Then 
why add the other nineteen to swell the apothecary's bill. 
Nay, possibly, on purpose to prolong the distemper, that 
the doctor and he may divide the spoil." * 

These are a few of Mr. Wesley's remedies^ some of which 
he tried on himself successfully : 

For an ague. — Go into the cold water bath before the 
cold fit. Never bathe on a full stomach. Go to bed and 
sweat after the bath. 

Asthma. — Take a pint of cold water every night when 
you lie down. Vomit by taking a quart of warm water. 
The more you drink the better. 

Hooping- Cough. — Use the cold water bath daily. 

Cholera Morbus.^ or flux and vomiting — Drink two or three 
quarts of cold water, or a drink of vinegar and water. 

A Cold. — Drink a pint of cold water, or add a spoonful 
of molasses. Tried. 

A Colic, — Drink a pint of cold water. Tried. 

* Sentences here and there are taken from Mr.W's book j the words are his. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 245 

An hiveterate Cough, — Wash the head in cold water every 
morning, or use the cold bath. 

The Dropsy, — Use the cold bath daily after purging. 

A Fever, — Drink a quart of cold water in the beginning 
of any fever. It is safe and sure. Lie down w^hen taken. 

Weak Eyes, — Wash the head daily with cold water. 

The Measles, — Drink only thin water gruel, or milk and 
water, or toast and water. 

The Rheumatism, — Use the cold water bath with rubbing 
and sweating, 

A Sprain, — Hold the part two hours in very cold water. 

The Scurvy, — Live on turnips for a month, or an entire 
milk diet for six months, or lemon juice and sugar. 

A Sore Throat, — Take a pint of cold water and lie down. 

For Worms, — Use the juice of lemons. 

A Flux, — Use the cold bath daily, and drink water from 
the spring largely, taking nothing else till it stops. 

Consumption has been cured by cold bath. A consump- 
tive man was advised to drink water gruel without sugar or 
salt. In three weeks he was well. Use as a drink cold water 
and new milk. To each quart add two ounces of sugar. 

A middle-aged man drank five quarts of cider every day, 
and was cured of a dropsy, supposed to be incurable, in a 
few weeks. A farmer, aged seventy, was given over to die. 
Being desperate, he drank three quarts of cold water every 
twenty-four hours. His whole food was sea biscuit. For 
sixteen days he seemed worse ; then he had watery dis- 
charges for a week, and was soon well. 

The Gravel, — Eat abundantly of spinage, or drink largely 

of warm water sweetened with honey, or peach-leaf tea, or 

infuse an ounce of wild parsley seeds in a pint of white wine, 

for twelve days. Drink a glass of it, fasting daily, for three 

months. To prevent its return, breakfast on agrimony tea. 
2iA 



246 The Laborer; 

It cured me [Mr. Wesley] twenty years ago, nor have I 
had the least symptom of it since, 

Mr. Wesley says: ^^A prejudice prevails, that fruits are 
noxious in a dysentery. Whereas, ripe fruits, of whatever 
species, especially summer fruits, are the real preservatives 
from it. They thin down the thick bile. Ripe fruits are 
the true solvents of it. They may bring on purging, but 
such as guard against dysentery. 

"We had an extraordinary abundance of fruit, in 1759, 
and in 1 760, and scarcely any dysenteries. Whenever dys- 
enteries prevail, I eat less meat and more fruit ; and sev- 
eral physicians adopted this caution with the same success. 
I have seen eleven patients in one house with the dysentery, 
of whom nine ate fruit and recovered. The grandmother 
managed a child her own way, with burnt wine and spices, 
but no fruit. She conducted herself in the very same man- 
ner, and both died. 

''•In a country seat near Berne, in 1 751, the flux made 
great havoc, and the people were warned against the use of 
fruits. Ten out of eleven persons ate plentifully of plums, 
and not one of them was seized with it. The poor coach- 
man alone rigidly observed that abstinence, and took a ter- 
rible dysentery. 

"This distemper had nearly destroyed a Swiss regiment, 
in a garrison, in the south of France ; the captains then 
purchased a vineyard, where they carried the sick soldiers, 
and gathered grapes for them. After this not one died, nor 
were any more attacked with the dysentery.* 

* In 1866, the cholera prevailed in Cincinnati. Said a shop-mate to the 
writer, "I am sick, I will go home." He had the cholera; his mistaken 
friends gave him brandy and pepper. I prepared him, aided by another, for his 
coffin. Around my home three died with this disease. I had the diarrhea 
come on me, I took two lemons and a bunch of grapes. I have not much 
faith in the physician's skill. I had once a diarrhea when many were dying 



A Remedy for his Wrongs, 247 

^' A clergyman was seized with a dysentery, which was 
not mitigated in the least by any medicines he had taken. 
By mere chance he saw some red currants. He took a fancy 
to them, and eat three pounds in two hours in the morning. 
He became better that very day, and the next day was en- 
tnely well." 

'^ In modern times it is the fortune of an unlettered peas- 
ant to work marvels in the healing art, and to deprive it of its 
air of mystery. The name of Priessnitz belongs to history. 
He is remembered by those whom he has restored to health, 
and taught to avoid suffering by his water-cure. He has 
been the means of working out a great change in the pre- 
venting and the curing of diseases. Future generations 
will bless the peasant philosopher for his untiring labors. 
His birthplace was on the mountains of Grafenberg, in 
Silesia, in Austria. At twenty he managed a small farm, 
and was capable of great exertion. During the latter part 
of his Hfe his drink was water. Most of his reflections and 
observations are directed by common sense. 

"The first idea he had of the healing power of water was 
from a man in some iron-works, who used it for burns and 
injuries. He began to reflect on health afid disease. He 
noticed that the ruddy-faced and bare-footed plowman did 
not complain of head or stomach aches, and he was unac- 

with this disease. I invited a physician to heal me. He gave me " blue-mass," 
which, he said, made me worse. He paid me eight visits, and gave me many 
medicines. Then he left me, saying, "I must take laudanum." Another doctor 
gave me twenty doses of rhubarb and morphine. I was as weak as a child. 
The thought came into my mind, if I would live like a child I should get up 
again. I made a vow I would throw the medicines away, and live a week on 
milk. I was, at the end of the week, able to work. Another time I was a 
great sufferer from this very painful complaint, and I cured it by drinking 
daily a quart of cider. I was well in a week. The idea was obtained by 
reading a newspaper. The theory of this disease is — the digestive organs need 
repairs. The juices of fruits help wonderfully. 



248 The Laborer; 

quainted with anxiety or the blues ,; and that after being 
wet for hours, he did not take cold or shiver. He also 
observed those who had gone through the dissipations of 
Vienna, or who had passed a studious life in warm rooms. 
He also observed the dairy-maid, the seamstress, and the 
fine lady, who seldom walked. From these contrasts he 
formed his notions of health, life, and disease. He began 
practicing on the injuries and slight ailments of his neigh- 
bors, applying his compresses, warm or cold, according to 
the state of the inflammation. To this he added sponging 
different parts, and sometimes the whole body, with water, 
with plain diet, and water drinking at the same time. 

'' In the midst of these trials a wagon went over him, 
and broke some of his ribs. Two practitioners of the vil- 
lage gave him no hope of recovery. He took the resolution 
of trying his own plan. He recovered very rapidly. His 
cure made a sensation, after such an unfavorable opinion. 
Many now applied for advice, and he made many cures. It 
gave him an opportunity of studying the phenomena of dis- 
ease, and the different eff*ects produced by water. From this 
he formed a theory, and contrived new modes of applying 
his remedies to gain certain results. 

V'The powerful aid of sweating dwelt on his mind, and 
he contrived the plan of enveloping his patients in blankets. 
This answered his views, when properly used and followed 
by a bath. This was not attended with any debility and it 
relieved the internal organs, and the constitutional powers. 
He was puzzled how to treat the critical phenomena, 
which took place during the water treatment, and here the 
water-cure has gained by being thrown on its own resources* 
Had he been licensed to use medicines, in many of his di- 
lemmas he probably would have resorted to them, instead 
of finding out a surer and safer plan of treatment — the di- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 249 

versified modes of using water. He was also dissatisfied 
with his imperfect plan of treating fevers and inflammations. 
By continual reflection, he arrived at the process of envel- 
oping in the wet sheet, the crowning discovery of the water 
cure. With the aid of this valuable remedy, he was able 
to modify his treatment as he pleased. He soon discovered 
its powerful effects, when used in the treatment of chronic 
diseases. 

"All this however did not go on smoothly, or without 
obstacles. He was denounced as an unlicensed and dan- 
gerous impostor. He was fined, and his treatment was sus- 
pended. Confident in the goodness of his cause, and backed 
by numerous patients, he appealed against the sentence, and 
it was set aside. Priessnitz and his system became impor- 
tant. It attracted the attention of the government at Vienna. 
A commission of medical men went to inquire into the new 
water-cure. Old Baron Turkheim, at the head of the med- 
ical department was at the head of this, a man of spirit, and 
learning. On his return to Vienna, at the medical society, 
he was asked ' what he thought of the new charlatanism.' 
He replied, 'Priessnitz is an honest man, and no impostor, 
and his mode of treatment is superior to ours. Believe me, 
gentlemen, we have much to learn from this countryman.' 
This made the sages of Vienna angry at the founder of the 
water-cure. Those who left their care and went to this 
water-cure returned with perfect health. 

''"The commission analyzed the water to discover its 
mvstic virtue ! They found it was spring water ! They ex- 
amined the sponges with great care, to see if they contained 
any secret remedies. He was now taken under the protec- 
tion of the government, and a policeman was stationed at 
his hospital, to note the number of the patients, and report 
the deaths, and other results of the treatment. Up to 1841, 



250 ^ The Laborer; 

he had treated 7,219 strangers, and there had been thirty- 
nine deaths.* Some of these died before commencing the 
treatment, and were in a dangerous condition. This peas- 
ant doctor made $750,000. Nobles and the sons of kings 
were among his patients." f 

There was a ship from Africa, laden with blacks, des- 
tined for Cuba. They overpowered the crew, and com- 
pelled them to steer for home. This ship was picked up 
on the coast of Connecticut. It was resolved by some 
good people to send these Mendians back to Africa. Mr. 
George Thompson of Ohio became their missionary. In 
his ^^Observations on Africa," he says: "To take medicine 
is unnecessary. In the most violent attacks of fever, pure 
water, well administered, is more salutary than the whole list 
of medicines. Rightly applied, it relieves pain in the head, 
bowels, and limbs ; it purges or vomits ; it strengthens, en- 
livens, and invigorates ; it carries safely through the fever. 
All persons going to live in Africa, should acquire the true 
principles of hydropathy.' 

General Havelock, in India, could get no relief from his 
chronic sickness. The English physicians in that country 
could do him no good. When he went to England, none 
could help him there. He then made a pilgrimage to the Si- 
lesian peasant's hospital to be cured. In a letter to a friend 
he says : " I can hardly describe to you how much I have 
already gained by these potations and immersions. * * * * J 
am to devour eight pounds of grapes per diem." His bi- 
ographer adds: "What with the grapes and hydropathy to- 
gether he rallied yet more sensibly, and became compara- 
tively a vigorous, healthy man." J 

* Among 100 well persons three die in a year. A good test of Mr. P*s skill, 
f The practice of Water-cure, by Dr. J. Wilson. Fowler & Wells, 1855. 
J Life of Wm, Hayelock, by Rev.Wm. Brock. Carter & Brother, 1858 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 251 

Volney, in his travels in the United States, says: *"*•! have 
been attacked with an habitual flux in Georgia, in conse- 
quence of fatigue. In w^hatever climate it originates, it 
yields to no remedy. No astringent vi^as of any use to me, 
not even rhubarb and ipecacuanha v^as of any service to me. 
I took doses of opium. The relief vi^as momentary. Where 
plums grew, by eating this excellent fruit I was relieved for 
that season ; and no sooner was I obliged to abandon this 
fruit, the disease prevailed again. The cold bath I found of 
some benefit to me." * 

Thomas Jefferson said: "A physician was one w^ho put 
medicines, that he knew but little about, into a human stom- 
ach that he knows nothing about." Such were his prejudices 
against this class, that he was unwilling for his young rela- 
tives to enter the profession. 

Says the '•'Democratic Review : " ''Among the allopathic 
medicines in common use, we have the paralyzers^ aconitic 
and hemlock ; the convulsives^ strychnia and prussic acid; and 
the delirafacients are henbane, stramonium, and the deadly 
night-shade — seven poisons of the most virulent and sud- 
den in the whole kingdom of nature. Using these, we can 
only wonder that the virus of the rattlesnake, or the saliva 
of hydrophobia was not added to the list, and dealt out 
to suffering invalids on the authority of formal receipts. 
Next to these we have the less active, but still powerful 
poisons, opium, cinchona, digitalis, scammony, gamboge, 
hellebore, croton oil, colocynth, and a long list of vegetable 
poisons, as if the whole vegetable kingdom had been ran- 
sacked ; and when any substance was found, fetid to the 
smell, nauseous to the taste, and deadly in its action, it fol- 
lows that men must take it for medicine — for health." 

•*A view of the climate and soil of the United States, by C. F. Volney. 
Page 309. Conrad, publisher. Philadelphia, 1804. 



.252 The Laborer; 

The " Scientific American" tells us that a blister made in 
the hand by a hoe, or some other implement of industry, 
will cure sickness. This seems to have been a remedy of 
Mr. Lyman Beecher, to work away the symptoms of sick- 
.ness, by working on some land. This seems to be true. If 
we become indolent, and keep on the sofa, we shall be sick. 
Oliver Goldsmith was a literary physician, a class, people 
think, are not good at healing. At one time he sent a sick 
person a round box, labeled to be taken as often as necessi- 
ties require it. It contained ten pieces of gold. 

It can not be denied that mankind need a class to be so 
-skilled that they can amputate a limb, sew up an artery, or 
trepan a dented skull. This is no evidence that physicians 
.should be so numerous. Select one or two in a town, and 
give them all the custom, who will make you well quicker, 
and, perhaps, charge you less. Dr. Abernethy had a large 
practice to make $100,000 a year. People had to be brief 
when they came to him. A lady showed him her finger. 
He said "a poultice." She came again and showed it 
and said, ^^ Better ; how much do you charge ? " The reply 
was, " Nothing ; you have the art of holding your tongue." 
He used to tell some to earn sixpence a day, and live on it. 

Bulwer said a physician "was one who relieved you of 
your money, not of your malady." In his " Confessions 
on the Water-Cure," which contains a description how he 
was cured by water when the physician failed, he says: 
'^A little reflection taught me the learned professions are not 
disposed to favor innovation on that which is sacred in their 
eyes. A physician can not be expected to own that a Si- 
lesian peasant can cure with water the diseases that resist 
an armament of phials. I threw physic to the dogs." * 

* The reader is referred to the books of Fowlers & Wells, hydropathic pub- 
Ushers, city of New York, for that knowledge to enable him to cure himself. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 253 

The advent of Jesus Christ into the world is the most re- 
markable event in its history. At the present time, fully a 
fifth of the human race believe in his name. He was full 
of kindness, benignity, and devotion to men. His object was 
to benefit them on earth and in heaven. His career was an 
extraordinary one. His death was very painful. He was the 
victim of prejudice and superstition. He came to level the 
galling distinctions of human society ; to make the painful 
inequalities of life to cease ; to add what was lacking in the 
Jewish law ; to make the moral laws of man complete. He 
showed how absurd was the Jewish law of retaliation. In its 
place he gave the law of kindness and forbearance. He 
came to give men light for their darkness, happiness for 
their fears. Men desired immortahty. He showed them it 
could be obtained, and there was an inheritance beyond the 
grave. He upbraided mankind for their wickedness, lux- 
ury, and superstition. In him there was no hypocrisy or 
dissimulation, no sin or vice, no desire to be rich. 

That he was a reformer, may be inferred from the lan- 
guage of his commission: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon 
me ; because he hath chosen me to preach the Gospel to the 
poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach 
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the 
blind, and to set at liberty them that are bruised." [Luke, 
ch. iv,, V. 18.] For this kindness to the human race, men 
should adore and love him. There have appeared many re- 
formers who loved the human race, and gave them noble 
precepts for their moral conduct. The precepts of Jesus 
are nobler than them all. 

Plato wrote the scheme of a republic, in which the law 
should watch over the equal distribution of the external in- 
struments of unequal power, honors, property, etc. 

Confucius said: *'^If a state is governed by the principles 



254 The Laborer; 

of reason, poverty and misery are the subjects of shame ; if 
a state is not governed by the principles of reason, riches 
and honors are the subjects of shame." 

Diogenes devised a noble and w^orthy plan of opposition 
to the system of master and slave. He said : " It is in the 
power of each individual to level the inequality which is the 
topic of the complaint of mankind. Let him be aware of 
his own worth, and the station he occupies in the scale of 
moral beings. Diamonds and gold, palaces and scepters, 
derive their value from the opinion of mankind. The only 
sumptuary law which can be imposed on the use and fab- 
rication of these instruments of mischief and deceit, these 
symbols of successful injustice, is the law of opinion. Every 
man possesses the power, in this respect, to legislate for him- 
self. Let him be well aware of his own worth and moral 
dignity. Let him yield in meek reverence to any worthier 
or wiser than he, so long as he accords no veneration to the 
splendor of his apparel, the luxury of his food, the multi- 
tude of his flatterers and slaves. It is because ye value and 
seek the empty pageantry of wealth and social power that 
ye are enslaved to its possessions. Decrease your physical 
wants ; learn to live, like the beasts of the forest and the 
birds of the air, so far as nourishment and shelter is con- 
cerned ; ye will not need to complain that other individu- 
als of your species are surrounded by the diseases of sub- 
serviency and oppression." 

Jesus of Nazareth saw that the majority of men were in 
poverty and ignorance, gratifying the luxury of many at the 
expense of their comfort. These few did not try to govern 
their own evil passions. They sought to gain majesty, rank, 
wealth, and power over the weaker part of men. It was for 
these proud ones that these precepts were given, to bring 
them to a better feeling, to teach love and kindness to men. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 255 

He opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed 
are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after right- 
eousness : for they shall be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. 

Blessed are the peace-makers : for they shall be called the 
children of God. 

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' 
sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute 
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for 
my sake. 

How grand ! How noble ! How sublime are these pre- 
cepts ! A belief in them makes men love and pity their 
race, and not trample upon them, nor regard them as beasts 
of burden to ride into power, or stepping stones to ease and 
leisure. The eloquence of Jesus was directed to the en- 
slaving vices of mankind that have made them miserable 
for ages. Nations had warred against nations, they had em- 
ployed the ingenuity of men for destroying property, and 
lives. Instead of one grand community, mankind were di- 
vided into many, each so organized that they could ruin 
one another. To carry out these plans required that mill- 
ions of sensitive beings should suffer agony and want. 

How much superior are these precepts to the meaning- 
less, inexplicable code that councils make for us to square 
our lives by, and which needs an interpreter. Men are 
destitute; and were law-makers, interpreters, and judges to 
do something else, some misery would disappear. It is only 
during the past four hundred years that men have had a 



256 The Laborer; 

printed code to refer to. The time was when the decis- 
ion of the magistrate was common law. He was supposed 
to be full of piety, justice, and wisdom. An analysis of law 
cases show that they are the disputes of men worth millions 
with those' worth nothing; those worth four thousand with 
those worth forty dollars, or some other extreme. If the 
usages of society were different, or the laboring man was 
more enlightened, the future creations of labor would be re- 
tained more by those who make them. The inequalities of 
life cause endless lawsuits, which will cease when the poor 
possess more. 

Crimes and wrongs are on the increase in this Republic. 
Legislation is an attempt to provide against the mistakes of 
men, and to assign penalties for injuries; it destroys as 
much as it preserves. The command of Jesus Christ is, 
'^Love your enemies ; bless them that curse you, that you 
may be the sons of your Heavenly Father." If men would 
obey this command, be forgiving and forbearing they would 
be happier and better. 

An Athenian soldier accidently set fire to the city of Sar- 
dis. It was burned to the ground. The Persians retal- 
iated on Athens. They assembled successive expeditions 
on the most extensive scale. Athens was burned to the 
ground, the territory was laid waste, and every living thing 
destroyed. The Persians desisted when not able to do any 
more mischief. Alexander retaliated.by destroying Persia. 
If men would be forgiving, how much happier the world 
would be. If the sums or the time that is spent in war, 
were employed in promoting the welfare of man, how dif- 
ferent would be human society ! 

^^ Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect." If 
men will obey this sentence, it is better than volumes of 
laws. To understand the whole moral duty of man, the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 257 

Decalogue must be studied, of which one single precept, 
strikes at the root of all wrongs: ^^Thou shalt not covet." 

The followers of Christ after his death, or ''They that 
believed, were together, and had all things common ; and 
sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, 
as every man had need. And they continuing daily with 
one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house 
to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of 
heart, praising God." [Acts, ch. 2., v. 45]. 

This was a severe blow to pride, to ample possessions, to 
costly food and raiment, and to magnificent rooms. No 
great moral improvement of mankind can take place till a 
system of equality like this prevails. 

These Christians increased rapidly in spite of persecu- 
tion and torture. Pliny, a governor of a Roman province, 
in the year 104, tells Trajan, the Roman Emperor, ''That 
the Christians are not guilty of theft or adultery ; they ob- 
served their word and were true to their trust." Tertullian 
says : " Were the Christians to retire to another country, 
the Romans would have a frightful solitude." In the third 
century there were Christians in the camp, the senate, and 
every-where but in the temple and theater. St. Chrysostom 
examining from what source the eminent virtues of the first 
Christians flowed, ascribes it principally to their divesting 
themselves of their possessions. He says : "Whosoever 
hath a large possession, hath a tempter to draw him into 
hell." 

It is a source of regret that there are so many divisions 
in the Christian Church. It would be better for mankind 
if they would unite and form one church. How many min- 
isters it would send to the plow ! The town of T , on 

the Miami Canal, contains three thousand five hundred in- 
habitants, and has eleven churches. Two churches would 



258 The Laborer; 

be sufficient to contain all the church-goers. There are 
two kinds of Methodists and Presbyterians. The Baptist 
Church had forty members, most of whom were poor, and 
homeless. Their church cost $4,000, which is on each 
member $100. These forty members pay an annual salary 
of $800 to their minister, which is twenty dollars on each 
member. If one of these homeless members, at the close of 
life, should say, Why am I homeless ? the answer might be, 
You have given sufficient to have made you a good home. 
Religion does not demand these sacrifices. The truth can 
be found at a cheaper rate. 

The Primitive Methodists were also poor. The basement 
of their church was divided into cells, the abodes of women 
in years. While looking at these poor, cheerless homes, the 
thought occurred, if the labor that is in superfluous monu- 
ments were in cottage homes for widows, it would promote 
their happiness. The time is coming when the most costly 
monuments will tell that those beneath have been success- 
ful plunderers of others' labor. 

The Methodists have local preachers who are as good as 
the itinerants. The world is very wicked, and something 
must be done to make it better. To induce the people to 
come to church, it should be made attractive by organs and 
beautiful architecture. To such a church there might be 
half a dozen preachers who could preach gratuitously and 
by turns. Among the Dunkers and Friends you will find 
no paid preachers. Among them the strictest honesty pre- 
vails. These have volunteer preachers. There are many 
of the sermons of Wesley, Watts, Whitefield and others, that 
can be read with profit. To make a sermon, requires three 
days' time. There will not be wanting men full of benev- 
olence and the spirit of Jesus, who will teach his precepts, 
without any reward. A paid ministry has its evils. It can 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 259 

not strike as heavy blows at folly and weakness, which many 
in the congregation practice. The minister must treat in a 
dainty manner the faults of some, or he will lose a part of 
his salary. The early Christians received no pay for preach- 
ing. Paul could work and preach. Franklin told Paine not 
to pubHsh his "Age of Reason." He said: "Don't un- 
chain the tiger; men are wicked with religion, they will be 
worse without it." The Bible pronounces woes on those 
who "add house to house," on the lawyers, on those who 
are rich, and oppress the poor. See James, ch. v. 

These examples prove that men can be reclaimed from 
sin. Mrs. E. Fry went to Newgate Prison, where three 
hundred ferocious and riotous females were confined. She 
proposed to find them employment and instruction. She 
told them of the comfort to be derived from industry and 
sobriety, the pleasure and profit of doing right and acquir- 
ing knowledge, the happiness and joy of a religious life. So 
great was the change, at the end of two weeks the Gover- 
nor hardly knew the prison again. The Lord Mayor, Al- 
dermen, and Sheriffs were astonished at the orderly deport- 
ment of the prisoners — their attention to the Scriptures — the 
obedience and respect shown to visitors — their cheerful man- 
ners and the absence of noise, tumult, and contention. Li- 
centiousness and rioting were exchanged for sobriety and 
cleanliness. Hundreds were made better. One said to 
Mrs Fry: "From you I learned to flee the road that leads 
to hell, and to look to my Savior for pardon. This doc- 
trine teaches me to deny all ungodliness and wordly pleas- 
sures. Dear Madam, permit me to give you two pounds for 
benevolent purposes, which I have earned." 

Isaac T. Hopper, a Friend, spent fifty years helping poor 
people to work, and slaves to freedom. He used to preach 
to the inmates of Sing Sing Prison. He often moved a 



26o The Laborer; 

large part of his unhappy audience to tears. His friendly 
counsel produced permanent effects on their characters. In 
a letter to his daughter, he says *'^ One of these poor fellows 
attacked the life of his keeper. I had an interview with him. 
He received what I said kindly, and said he could not con- 
trol his passion. I tried to convince him he had power to 
govern his temper. Since I have talked to him, he has be- 
come better. I hardly ever saw a more changed man." 

Burke, in his ^'Reflections on the French Revolution," 
says : '^ When the Anabaptists of Munster, in the sixteenth 
century, had filled Germany with confusion, by their system 
oi levelling^ and wild opinions concerning property, what 
country in Europe did not feel just cause of alarm at the 
progress of their fury? " The Anabaptists arose in 1521. 
They taught that to Christians who had the Gospel to guide 
them, magistrates were unnecessary ; that the distinctions 
of birth, rank, or wealth should be abolished, and that all 
Christians should live together in a state of equality, throw- 
ing their possessions into one stock, and live as one family. 
In 1525, Munzer and his associates put themselves at the 
head of a large army, and declared against all laws, govern- 
ments, and magistrates of every kind. They got possession 
of Munster city, deposed the magistrates, and confiscated 
their estates for public good. It is reported that 100,000 
fell by the sword. It is supposed a part of these were Cath- 
olics, and others having no religion. The first insurgents 
groaned under oppression, and took up arms for civil de- 
fense. It was not a war about baptism. It was in oppo- 
sition to the feudal system, and the oppression of the Ger- 
man princes. 

The Dunkers arose in 1724, Corneal Reissel, a German, 
was their founder. Persecution compelled them to settle 
fifty miles from Philadelphia. They do not shave; their 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 261 

best speakers are ordained to be ministers. They still are 
of the same faith as their fathers. They work at agricul- 
ture, and are very plain in their apparel and furniture. The 
Moravians derive their origin from the Greek Church. In 
the ninth century, the kings of Bulgaria and Moravia were 
converted to this faith. The Romish Church compelled 
some to submit to its dictates. Some united with the Wal- 
denses."*" In 1547, they were called "The Brethren of 
the Law of Christ." A civil war broke out in Bohemia, 
which compelled them to scatter to other places. A colony, 
under Christian David, in 1722, went for protection to 
Count Zinzendorf, who helped them to lands, and to a 
town which was called Hernhutt* From this place has gone 
forth many a noble colony of plain, pious people to every 
quarter of the earth. The Count became a convert to 
their faith. They have economies, or choir-houses, where 
they live in communities. The single men and women, and 
the widows and widowers, there support themselves. They 
have established fifty missions, which have been a great 
blessing to men. Their Greenland mission was begun in 
1733; in North America in 1734; in Crimea, in 1765. 
This last mission was among the Tartars, to whom industry 
was taught by example. The Moravians had a moat for 
protection around their town. 

An ancient Inquisitor says of the Waldenses: " These 
heretics are known by their manners and conversation; they 
are orderly and modest in their deportment ; they avoid all 
pride in their dress, they neither indulge in finery, nor are 
they ragged and mean. They avoid commerce^ that they 
may be free from deceit and falsehood. They get their 
living by manual industry. They are not anxious about 

■^Christians who never submitted to the Roman Catholic Church. They 
reside in the valley of Piedmont, in Italy. 



262 The Laborer; 

amassing riches^ but content themselves with the necessaries 
of life. They are chaste, temperate, and sober. They ab- 
stain from anger." The Archbishop of Turin says : " Their 
heresy, excepted, they generally live a purer life than other 
Christians." 

The Friends [Quakers] came from the teachings of a 
weaver, in the fifteenth century. He taught men to despise 
gold and silver lace, embroidery, laces and ruffles ; not to 
use the word master or servant, or address others with titles. 
He taught that, to attack others, violated the laws of human- 
ityj to defend one's self broke those of Christianity. If any 
asked for his coat, he got his waistcoat too. They who 
struck one cheek were invited to strike the other also. The 
Friends would take no oaths, pay no tithes, for which they 
were whipped, imprisoned, and put in pillories and in mad- 
houses. Wm. Penn, in 1681, obtained for them Pennsyl- 
vania, to which these people went in large numbers. Said 
Cromwell : " This is the only religion I can not bribe." 

The monks were of various kinds. The meaning of the 
word is " solitary," and is from monachus. Persecution was 
the cause of men living in deserts. Some lived in commu- 
nities under a superior, and their houses were called mon- 
asteries. Those who lived in cells apart were called laura. 
Those having a fixed place were called Chartreux, Bene- 
dictines, and Bernardines. Strolling, begging monks were 
the Capuchins and Franciscans. St. Anthony, at the close 
of the fourth century, engaged them to live in societies, and 
have fixed rules for their conduct. They were first in 
Egypt, then in Palestine and Syria. They went to Italy, 
France, and Britain. Monks were distinguished by the 
color of their habit — black, white, and gray. There were 
monks of the choir and the cloister, professed monks, and 
lay monks. The latter had priesthood conferred on them. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 263 

From these examples we learn what undefiled religion 
does for a guilty world. It is a remedy for its wrongs. Jesus 
commands us to put away all avarice and selfishness. Do 
all Christians do this? No, Many of the children of light 
and grace are full of selfishness. Rehgion makes some in- 
dustrious, frugal, and saving, who will buy wild lands, town 
lots, stocks, and merchandise, with which to get the earn- 
ings of others, forgetting that the Scriptures say "having 
food and raiment let us therewith be content." Many 
think that giving to the heathen will cure faults. It is not 
to be denied that this is a noble charity. Many triumphs 
have been won where the heathen have been taught pro- 
ductive industry. Where a people have the arts, the con- 
verts are costly. In Turkey, a worldly paper has made a 
calculation, the converts cost each $20,000, and a less sum 
converts here. The Christians deserve our admiration. 

New York City has one church member to fifteen who 
are not. These few build the churches, support societies 
that benefit men. The extreme poor do not go to church. 
Their dingy hats, faded clothes, ill contrasts with the gayety 
there. The poor can enjoy the pleasing strains of the or- 
gan, and the choir singing the songs of the ecstatic Wesley, 
the pious Watts, or the gifted Montgomery. In a gothic 
church, having an organ, and a quartette choir, the writer 
counted fifty persons on a summer's Sunday eve. Another 
church, having seats for 2,000, had 120 persons in attend- 
ance. A gothic church hangs out a sign ^^ Seats are Free.'* 
Add to this, the brothers wear home-spuns, and the sisters 
calicoes. This will induce the poor to attend. 

In this city [Cincinnati] is a Female Methodist College, 
which looks like an abbey of the olden time. It has rooms 
for 100 ladies, in which to learn the Latin name of a dog, 
and the Greek name of a sheep. To learn these languages 



264 The Laborer; 

requires four years, and will be forgotten in five unless used. 
That these ladies may be refined and polished, others must 
be rude and ignorant. To sweep halls, and cook their food 
in the basement requires ten servants. At night they will 
retire to the attics. These polished ladies will require at 
least twenty persons to create their food and clothing. The 
wages of these give no books, no leisure, no learning. If 
all would labor eight hours in a day, learning would be equal. 
Eight hours daily could be spent conjugating Latin verbs, 
or declining Greek nouns. The strangest feature is that a 
hall of learning must be endowed, the Latin and Greek 
paid for by human society. Says a manager of one of these 
colleges to the Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Co., we will 
take $500,000 worth of shares, to give us yearly $50,000 
to pay the teachers. Suppose the people of Cincinnati bor- 
row the money of the State, and give to it every year the 
tolls ; in ten years the bridge would be free, and persons can 
keep their money for their own accomplishments. 

To take interest on money is condemned by the Bible. 
Our Lord says : ^^ Do good and lend^ hoping for nothing again.'''' 
[Luke ch., vi, 35]. Webster says "Usury comes from the 
Latin word usura^ to use — a premium stipulated to be paid 
for the use of money. Usury formerly denoted any legal 
interest. In this sense the word is no longer in use.'^ Noth- 
ing can be plainer that interest is forbidden. It was so un- 
derstood by the "Fathers." Ezekiel [ch. 18, v. 13] says: 
" Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken 'increase [in- 
terest] : shall he then live ? He shall not live." These texts 
refer to usury. Matt. 5, 42 ; Exod. 22, 25 ; Levit. 25, 35 ; 
Deut. 23, 19; Psalm 15, 5; Ezek. 18. 17; Gal. 6, 2. 





CHAPTER XII. 

FARMERS AND MECHANICS. 

The Farmer's Burdens are too Heavy — It is his Duty to Make them 
Light — How to Educate his Children — To Fertilize the Soil — How 
the Mechanic may Shorten his Labor — How to Obtain a Home. 

''Agriculture is the only honest way of living." — Benjamin Franklin. 
" Have but few wants, and the means to supply them." — De Warville. 

OU who are farmers are almost crushed to the 
earth, with unrequited toil. Like beasts of burden 
you bear with patience heavy loads. The injustice 
of society, the remains of barbarism, bind burdens on the 
farmer that should not be endured. For instance, a number 
of idle ruffians meet to see a ''mill," or two persons maim 
each other. A number of pale, smooth-faced gentlemen in 
women's toggery, met to try a man, not for crime or out- 
rage on men's moral feelings, but for preaching in a Meth- 
odist meeting house, for persuading men ''to cease to do 
evil, to learn to do well." For this he was arraigned be- 
fore a tribunal of Episcopal clergymen, who should have 
been better employed. There were many outcasts around 
them, suffering for the necessaries of life. Had these men 
first created their food and clothes, their faults would not 
have been so great. Like worms in the peach, they only 
destroy, they do not create. This was in 1868. 

If the farmer would spend a portion of his time making 
cloth, beet or maple sugar for his own consumption, there 

(265) 



266 The Laborer; 

would be a mighty change — many in society would have to 
toil. The corruptions of society enable thousands to live 
without doing any work. 

Farmers are at the bottom of the social column. When 
a farmer visits a large city, he should have these reflections : 
This large multitude I help to feed and find in clothing ma- 
terials. What do I gain ? Am I a freeman or a slave ? Why 
do I toil so incessantly? The unproductive classes become 
more numerous every day. The farmers do not increase 
in proportion. The farmer, by selling his grain and grass, 
impoverishes his land. Many farms in New England which 
once gave thirty bushels of wheat to an acre, now only give 
twelve. The wheat was eaten in cities, and wasted so 
that the soil was not fertilized. In the same manner are the 
Western States becoming barren. In half a century ster- 
ility will prevail, unless prevented. 

The ruins of cities show they have been once populous. 
Why is it a desert around them? This land was once a 
woodland covered with trees, the leaves of which decay and 
mixed with sand form the soil. What has taken ages to 
form may be destroyed in a generation — which is done in 
this manner. The soil was planted, and the products con- 
sumed in cities, which are on river banks. Water carries 
away what should be put on the soil. 

A Southern journal says : '^ Cotton is an exhausting crop ; 
it leaves so little to manure the soil. Cotton has destroyed 
more than earthquakes or volcanoes. South Carolina has 
produced cotton, to the last dying gasp, till the soil forbids 
cultivation, and is turned out to nature, reminding travelers 
of the dilapidated condition of Greece." 

Thomas Jefferson said : " Cultivators of the earth are 
the most valuable citizens. They are the most independ- 
ent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country, 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 267 

and wedded to its liberties and interests, by the most lasting 
bonds. As long, therefore, as they can find employment 
in this line, I would not convert them into artisans, mari- 
ners, or any thing else. Our citizens will find employment 
in this line till their numbers, and of course their produc- 
tions, become too great for the demand, both internal and 
foreign. This is not the case as yet, and probably will not 
be for a considerable time. As soon as the surplus of hands 
must be turned into something else, I should then, perhaps, 
turn them into the sea, in preference to manufactures. I 
consider this class of artificers as the panderers to vice, and 
the instruments by which the liberties of a country are gen- 
erally overturned. However, we are not at liberty to decide 
this question on principle of theory only. Our people are 
decided in the opinion that it is necessary for us to take a 
share in the ocean. I think it is a duty in those intrusted with 
the administration of affairs, to conform themselves to the 
decided choice of their constituents; and that, therefore, we 
should, in every instance, preserve an equality of right to 
them, in the transportation of commodities, in the right of 
fishing, and the other uses of the sea. But what will be 
the consequence? Frequent wars, beyond a doubt!" 

Mr. Jefferson never ceased to believe only in simple, rural 
life — moderation in living — daily toil ; and no greater aggre- 
gation of human beings than is to be found in the family on 
each farm. He was opposed to the building of a Federal 
town for the seat of government. 

It is the duty of the father who owns a farm, to leave it 
for all future time to his descendants. Why should the father, 
who has felled trees, dug up stumps, drained marshes, cul- 
tivated hedges, planted orchards, and erected the home with 
its green lawns, graveled walks, flowering shrubbery, and 
climbing grape vines — why should all this, at the father's 



268 The Laborer; 

death, pass into the hands of strangers ? It is better that the 
offspring should bless the parent or ancestor for his industry, 
than a stranger should rejoice in having obtained a posses- 
sion for a small bale of paper money. When an estate is 
sold, many a tree and shrub, brick and nail, is not paid for. 
The purchaser hardly ever pays the full value. 

Mr. Wilkinson P , of Miami Co., Ohio, told the 

writer, when stopping with him, as a school-teacher, that he 
''bought his farm, containing 130 acres, for $3.00 an acre, 
and he paid for it by driving cattle, for thirty-three cents 
and a third of a cent for a day," He then got married and 
had seven children. Said he : ''I calculate to give my boys, 
when twenty one, 100 acres each, and the youngest is to 
have the home farm." This he has done, and he gave his 
daughter for a marriage portion $2,000. Since he started 
them in life, he has saved for each $2,000. From this farm 
this father has saved, in forty years, $30,000 ; perhaps more. 
This family had every luxury. This farmer had a way of 
increasing or multiplying his money, by interest, which is a 
plan of getting from others. His conscience did not see it 
was wrong, and he may be forgiven. This case proves that 
the home should be in the family as a monument after death, 
and a fountain of supplies, for the members of the family to 
draw from while creating a new home. These boys were 
put to work at proper age and earned their farms. Some of 
them understand algebra and the sciences. These boys 
cleared their own land. 

The writer, became acquainted, in Clinton Co., 111., with 
seven brothers of the name of Sharp. Their father taught 
them to farm, and then gave each 100 acres of land. One 
brother now has 500 acres, and is a local preacher ; the ex- 
cess of food his sons, tenantry, and himself make will keep 
his congregation 150 persons all the year. One has the home. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 269 

In Sweden the youngest son takes the homestead and 
keeps the parents; the surplus goes to supply the others. 
A division takes place where the estate is large. 

It is to be hoped the time will come when men will be- 
lieve again it is sinful to take interest, and that the laboring 
men will be their own merchants. If justice had been done 
to society, it would be the owner of all the turnpikes and 
railroads. If such a period should ever come, men would 
have to build their own homes. It is from these sources 
that wealth is obtained that enables men to buy costly 
homes. 

There are three sources that impoverish a farmer's lands: 
The first is to buy the land on credit, and pay for it by sell- 
ing its crops ; the second is to sell crops to pay the taxes ; 
the third is to sell crops to buy shoddy cloth. If these 
drains on the land were to cease, a greater number of the 
farmer's children might find support from the soil. Two 
of these will be done away with when men know their po- 
litical rights; the latter when men discipline their mechan- 
ical faculties. 

To buy cloth abroad introduces the evils of cities. Says 
Bismark: ^^ Large cities are in the highest degree obnoxious 
to the welfare of nations." This fact should make the far- 
mer, joined with others, resolve to possess some simple and 
cheap twisting and weaving machinery. Porter, in his " Pro- 
gress of the British Nation," says: ^'•A curious trade has of 
late years sprung up, that of importing rags for the purpose 
of re-manufacture. These are assorted, torn up, and twisted 
with wool of a low quality, and inferior cloth is made from 
the mixture." 

The farmers, in olden times, supported many scholars. 
Wm. Godwin, in his '^Enquirer," says: "About the fif- 
teenth century the human mind began to shake off its slum- 



270 The Laborer; 

bers. The principal causes of the revival of learning was 
the study of the classics [writings of the ancients]. The 
desire of rescuing the ancient manuscripts from oblivion 
engaged the attention of kings and princes. It was consid- 
ered the most important task in which they could be en- 
gaged. Hence they did not scruple to appropriate the re- 
sources of the nation for this purpose. Scholars went from 
country to country, with the hope of obtaining classical 
manuscripts. The recovery of one was the cause of as great 
a triumph as if battles had been won, or nations plundered. 
To illustrate these, authors and scholars arose, and consid- 
ered it an honored task to translate and comment on them, 
to remove their obscurities, so that the Greek and Roman 
writers could be understood and their beauties admired." 

At the present time it is the duty of all to become learned. 
The ancient classics are translated, why should men go to 
a large building to learn to read them. The time spent at 
this would open a new farm. This course must make men 
poor. If they escape poverty it is a loss to others. The col- 
leges would make nice homes for aged women who are 
homeless. In a single 5^ear [1867], Harvard College had 
gifts to the amount of $475,000. George Peabody gave 
$150,000 for archaeological [the science of antiquities] and 
ethnological [a science on the different races of men] pur- 
poses. 

How much more it would add to the happiness of men 
if this sum were spent in industrial schools for the poor. It 
is difficult for boys to get places, as wood and iron can be 
made to do their work. The boys in the "Ohio Reform 
School" spend half of their time at learning, the other at 
making their shoes and clothing. They are taught to ob- 
tain their own food; what is left is sold. The farmers are 
in need of such a school, where their children can learn the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 271 

use of tools. How few farmers there are who can file saws 
or put an edge on steel tools. Every farmer should be able to 
keep his machines in repair, and for this purpose mechanical 
colleges should be built. There seems to be a disposition 
on the part of the authorities, to start such schools. If arch- 
itecture and some of the ologies are taught, it will be of no 
benefit to those who labor. 

C. B. Boynton, in his book, on Russia, says: "A farm 
of 700 acres had been laid out, under the direction of the 
government, and on the premises an agricultural school had 
been established, where both the theory and the practice of 
agriculture are taught to 200 peasants. An extensive mu- 
seum is attached to this farm, containing whatever relates 
to the occupation of a farmer, including all descriptions of 
agricultural implements, even to the finest breeds of cattlcc 
Model cottages are introduced. Each province is allowed 
to send annually a certain*number to the school. In each 
year fifty graduates are distributed through the country after 
having obtained a four-years' course. The pupils are taught 
blacksmithing, carpenter work, cooperage, tailoring, shoe- 
making, cabinet-making, and agricultural implement making. 
Connected with this school is a brickyard, a pottery, a tan- 
yard, and a windmill. Each graduate gets a farm and a 
1 ,000 roubles [$750] to stock it. The pupil is encouraged 
to carry out these theories and teach others." 

This is a model for the Americans. If they should teach 
the fine arts, only a few will enjoy them. The poor do not 
see a painting often. These mechanical colleges at present 
are supported by the sale of wild lands. The Government 
gives a State 100,000 acres, and it is sold for ten dollars an 
acre, the amount will be $1,000,000. A poor laborer has 
accumulated $800, by the most painful saving, such as ab- 
stinence from the best food and clothing, or doing without 



272 The Laborer; 

books and papers. This laborer, to obtain eighty acres, has 
to give his savings. It v^ill take 1,250 laborers to purchase 
this land. Can any humane man say it is just and right that 
these laborers should suffer so much to found or endow a 
school Hke this. These laborers have to endure painful toil 
to clear and fence this land. They get the lowest pay, and 
it is a wrong to embarrass them, the most useful class, by 
such unequal burdens which are not imposed on the other 
classes. To save this sum will take a laborer eight to ten 
years. Statesmen and speculators do not build the school- 
houses and churches that surround this unimproved land ; it 
is the settlers who make this land desirable, for which they 
ask nothing, and are glad to see one who will help them to 
build these. The mechanical colleges should be paid for by 
the State, and the tuition by the pupil. 

It is the duty of every farmer to educate his children, so 
as to go through the world with ^ase and comfort, without 
care and anxiety. The parents of the child should hear it 
say its letters at three years of age, which will take ten 
minutes in the day. At four, it will be able to read an easy 
lesson. At this age the child can be taught to form let- 
ters on a small blackboard, resting on the lap. Chalk is 
used, and this should be the first lesson^ aaaaaaa\ this 
is the second, hhbbhhh\ this is the third, c c c c c c c. 
When the child has made eight letters, then give it this for 
a copy, ah c d efg h. The remaining letters form two copies. 



ai}cdelakiikl7Vinoka^ 



This is the last copy. The child should practice on a till it 
can make it perfect, and make it without seeing the copy. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 273 

The writer learned this mode of teaching writing by ac- 
cident. In 1858, the Government offered, in Missouri, a 
piece of land, one mile long and half a mile wide, for forty 
dollars. I went to Crawford Co. to see it. The land was 
hilly, and covered with small oaks.. In the little valleys 
and creek bottom were opened farms. I was offered, by 
Wm. Keys, fifty dollars in gold to teach school ten weeks. 
/'^The school-house had no windows. A log was left out to 
admit the light. In the loft were some boards ; with them I 
made a row of desks, and a blackboard 6 by 3 feet. This I 
put on two poles, having on them a little fork, and placed it 
against the ugly fireplace, after filling it with green branches. 
There were some pieces of boards left ; these I thought 
would, if planed and blackened, make a substitute for slates. 
I found out what books were wanting as near as I could. I 
was about to start to Steelville, fifteen miles distant, on foot 
to purchase them, when Mr. Keys offered me a horse to 
ride. This act gave me some surprise, as he had only 
known me five days. I can only account for this, that he 
did not know what crime was, as it is unknown in far-off 
rural districts. I purchased, among other books, some men- 
tal arithmetics. Said I to a druggist, "Let me have two 
pounds of chalk." Said he, "I have none." I said to him, 
with a feeling of disappointment, '^What shall I do? I am 
going to hold a school, and I can not teach without chalk." 
Said the druggist, '^ Your scholars will find plenty of chalk 
in the hills." 

I had the children of twelve families to teach. I had to 
"board around." Sometimes I had to go four miles to the 
farthest family, in a lonely path, with no houses on it, and 
liable to meet a wolf on the road. Seven of the fathers of 
these families could read, five write, and two cipher. I 
gathered the oldest scholars around my large blackboard. 



274 The Laborer; 

and showed them how addition was done, and what it was 
for, and then got them to do the same. In five weeks I got 
some of them through long division. I then showed them 
how numbers were to be used to find out the price of ar- 
ticles. I considered for what purposes they wanted arith- 
metic, and drilled them in those examples that they needed. 
I found out that nearly all could make the alphabet in chalk, 
from memory in a month. I then gave them an easy copy 
on their blackboards, which was afterward put on paper, in 
a neat manner. Writing was learned without pot-hoolcs or 
straight marks. 

There was a man who persuaded two of the directors that 
I was not teaching arithmetic right, so I was discharged at 
the end of eight weeks. This man wanted his son to be the 
teacher. On the last day of school the circuit preacher was 
to preach at one o'clock. There was also to be a wedding. 
I showed how well my charge could read. I then caused 
them to write on the blackboard the alphabet. I showed 
their copy-books. I then asked the Presbyterian minister 
to examine some of them in interest, single rule of three, 
and in such problems as would occur in life. I had some 
boys who stepped up to the blackboard and showed to their 
parents, what they never saw before, how the value of their 
butter was obtained at so much a pound, the worth of a farm 
when the price per acre was given, and also the amount of 
a note. I kindly advise farmers to give this order to a pat- 
tern-maker or cabinet-maker. 

Mr. . Please plane for me, on both sides, a piece of board six 

inches wide, eighteen inches long, and half an inch thick. Let the wood be 
poplar. Black-walnut or pine will do. Varnish it with shellac varnish and 
lamp-black. Set your gauge one inch and a half, and gauge from each edge. 

Parents, with this experiment of mine, can not fail to teach 
their children to write in a rapid manner. If shellac is not 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 275 

to be had, lamp-black, water and glue will answer to paint 
the board. The gauge hnes are made after the board is 
painted. Parents do not know how easy it is to teach their 
children. If the teacher has thirty-six scholars, he gives to 
each scholar ten minutes of his time during the day. The 
parent spending this time every day in the year will make 
better scholars. If the mother will take her needle-work, 
and make her child sit on a low stool, with its back to her, 
she can hear and see the lesson, and lose no time. Only 
a few statesmen can spell well. Many scholars are defi- 
cient in orthography, in the ^' nature and power of letters, 
and the just method of spelling words." The country 
teacher does not stop to analyze words, to accent syllables, 
to give the varied sounds of letters, or to modulate the 
voice in reading. The school-books now are progressive, 
and adapted to all capacities of youth, which the mother 
can easily teach. It is the duty of the mother to teach her 
child that six added to six makes twelve, and three times 
five makes fifteen. It is her duty to teach the difference 
between nouns and pronouns, verbs and adverbs. If the 
mother will try she will be equal to the task, and quite an 
adept at teaching that which is difficult. It is her duty to 
begin at three years of age and teach to seven then if the 
child goes to school, it can sit on a bench without a back 
and its feet will touch the floor. 

It will be difficult to tell what might have been the con- 
sequences if the Wesleys had not been taught by their 
mother. Watts, the poet, could read Latin at four years of 
age. Watt, the improver of the steam-engine, at six could 
work the problems of Euclid. Two of these lived to see 
eighty years, the others not quite that age. 

NoTE.-Wilson, Hinkle & Co,, Walnut St., Cin., publish school-books on every 
subject. These begin with the primary, and go up to that which is difficult.^ 



276 The Laborer; 

Wm. Cobbett says: '^I do not remember when I did 
not earn my living. My first occupation was driving away 
the birds from, the turnip field. My next employment was 
harrowing barley with a single horse. This was followed by 
hoeing peas, reaping wheat, and plowing. My father said : 
' He had four boys, the oldest fifteen, and they did as much 
work as any three men in the parish of Farnham.' In the 
winter evenings my father taught us all to read and write, 
and gave us a good knowledge of arithmetic and grammer." 
This man never was at any school. He earned $100,000 by 
his pen. He wrote 100 books to the working people, to 
get them to throw ofF their slavish chains. 

The school-teachers of Cincinnati, in 1866 were paid 
$556,348. Each scholar costs annually $12.00. If par- 
ents would instruct their infant children, half of this might 
be saved for an industrial school. Parents should think the 
school-fund is often taken from those who do not need its 
benefits. They should save it as much as possible. Farmers 
are not sure their children will be scholars. I was in Illi- 
nois, a farmer and his boys were around a heap of corn 
shelling it. I said to the boys : "If a person can do a piece 
of work in two days, arid another in three days, how long 
would it take both working together ? " They could not tell. 
The mother and daughter were teachers, and could not tell. 
I said : " One can do half of the work in a day, the other can 
do one-third in a day: if you add one-third and one-half to- 
gether, they will have done five-sixths in one day, and the 
remaining sixth will take one-fifth of the next day." Said 
the boys, "We see how it is done." 

Parents must teach their children to think and reason. It 
is easy to do it. When I worked at clock-making I paid a 
boy $2.00 in advance to teach me arithmetic. I had my first 
lesson on a rock where he was fishing. I then taught myself. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 277 

The farmer must be a thoughtful, thinking being, or he 
will be imposed on. When the people were counted in 
1859, it was ascertained that one in six had what was called 
an occupation. The remaining five-sixths were women 
and those under twenty-one. Half of the nation are under 
twenty-one. Half of the nation are females. Those em- 
ployed were 5,700,000 and occupied as named: 

Agriculturists 3>2'i9»495 

Mechanics and manufacturers 480,905 

Day laborers 969,000 

Servants 560,000 

Merchants 123,378 

Clerks 184,485 

Physicians 54>ooo 

Clergymen 37)000 

Lawyers ...^ 3h^93 

Many of the last six classes could easily be more profit- 
ably employed at something else. The servants alone can 
produce food for 20,000,000 of persons. We often see 
them at the most frivolous pursuits, such as polishing a door- 
handle, waiting on idle people, or driving a carriage, when 
those within can do it themselves. It is a great pity that 
men with minds, capable of great achievements, should be en- 
gaged in such ignoble employments. The poor slave once 
had a boundary line marked out for him, beyond which he 
could not go without permission ; those lines were those 
that surrounded the farm on which he was doomed to work. 
Did he see the man who was free do his servile work ? his 
language was ''poor white trash." As much as if he had 
said, you can get an ax and a spade and create a home ; sell- 
ing your labor makes you but half a man ; you are midway 
between a freeman and a slave. Is there ''no independent 
wish implanted in your mind?" Is your sense of enjoyment 
so dull that you should be content with rudeness ? Is your 
25 



278 The Laborer; 

faculty of invention so poor that you can not give beauty 
and form to the materials that are so abundant ? Is your rea- 
son so perverted that you can not see the wrong you do to 
yourself, by taking so scanty a share of your toil for what 
you endure ? Is your moral sense so obtuse that you can not 
see the injustice you do to yourself, by letting another filch 
away the excess of labor you create, which is given to paint- 
ers and sculptors, whose creations you are denied the poor 
consolation of seeing? Our African had these conceptions. 
Some men were trash, who could be removed and their loss 
not felt. The time was when men had coats-of-arms to keep 
themselves in remembrance, and this custom still exists. 
Some might adopt this device — a chin surmounted by razors 
sponges, and combs. Waiters can use an arm covered with 
a towel, surrounded by blacking brushy, brooms, and dus- 
ters. Others can use a curry-comb crossed with whips. 
This table shows the proportion of men's pursuits. 

A physician to every 600 people, 

A clergyman to every... 800. 

A lawyer to every 1,000. 

A merchant to every 250. 

A manufacturer to every 65. 

A farmer to every 10. 

In 1859, ^^^ value of the wheat crop was $223,000,000, 
the corn was worth $180,000,000, the hay $200,000,000, 
the butter and cheese $1 10,000,000, the wool $50,000,000, 
the cotton $200,000,000, the tobacco $6o,ooo,ooo, the 
slaughtered animals $212,000,000, the sugar $30,000,000. 
The cotton, woolen, and iron manufactures amounted to 
$250,000,000 in 1859. """he total amount of this labor is 
$1,515,000,000. This quantity will keep 90,000,000 of 
persons. This appeared in the daily papers: A writer^ of 
the name of Major Huntley, died in the streets of Albany, 
of actual starvation. He left a wife and one child. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 279 

A mechanic or laborer, who resides in a large city, and 
is poor when he marries, the probabilities are that he will al- 
ways remain homeless. Those who get homes in large cities 
are one in four. The only plan the laborer has to get a 
home is to remain single till he can get one. The Miami 
County farmer who earned f 100 in a year, did not marry 
till he accumulated $400. Had he married without get- 
ting a home on the land, he could not have set his children 
to work. They would have been a burden to him, and made 
him unhappy. The children of a city poor man must do 
any thing they can find to be done. After waiting months, 
perhaps vears, for something ^^respectable" to work at, the 
boy becomes a cigar-maker, or a barber. 

When a poor father living in a large city dies, his daugh- 
ters must go out to service, and work from five o'clock in 
the morning to eight in the evening, and then sleep in a 
room that has a window in the rooY, or they must become 
sewing girls, to make fine clothes for others, while they are 
ragged. The only remedy is for men to go in companies 
to the wilderness and make homes. It can not be that man, 
with all his knowledge must be poor. It is what we do that 
makes us poor. In Cincinnati is a warehouse that has four 
large stone-brackets over the door, on the end of each is a 
huge face. The carver has dug the eyes out of two, which 
makes them look hideous. To dig out these eyes must 
have cost two dollars, which would give some poor child a 
pair of shoes. Some say this gives work to mechanics. It 
is very absurd reasoning. It is unnecessary labor, which, 
if not done, society would be just as well off. If the stone- 
carver had remained idle, he would not have destroyed his 
clothes or consumed as much food. 

A man has money in his house, A bad man goes and 
takes it, for which he is arrested. The judge says to him, 



28o The Laborer; 

" Why did you do this act ? " The reply is, " I wanted to 
give work to mechanics. I know a stone-cutter who wants 
to make for me some stone ornaments, to obtain clothing 
for his family." Says the judge: ^' The family whom you 
deprived wanted the money for their own clothing. You 
must atone for your fault, by confinement, where you will 
be taught to make cloth. Let the stone-cutter get a loom, 
and make his own clothing, and society will be gainers." 

There are in society men who get large quantities of 
others' labor by strange, queer ways which mankind, some 
time or other, will find out is wrong. They are guilty of 
the folly and wickedness of putting labor in the wrong place, 
thereby causing much sorrow and misery.. There is no 
difference between building the Pyramids of Egypt and 
some of our modern stores. Both have caused men to go 
hungry and ill-clad. 

One of the boys in Missouri to whom I taught arith- 
metic was seventeen. He could tan and dress a cow's hide, 
make the leather into a pair of boots. The hides were 
tanned in a hollow log. He could build log-houses and 
make furniture. I felt much admiration for Mrs. Keys 
when I saw her husband in a black suit of clothes, all wool, 
made, spun, cut, and dyed with her own hands. Many 
families make blankets, quilts, sheets, and linen for old age. 
It would fill a person with surprise to see the shelves laden 
with these goods. Their mechanical knowledge was very 
limited. If their boys could have learned better modes of 
working they would be richer. The men did not work 
more than four hours in the day on an average. They used 
wooden plows with a piece of iron on the point. The 
young people had never seen a sofa, brick or frame house. 
If you set this people to making stone faces and foolish 
things, families will freeze to death. This often occurs* 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 281 

If a hundred mechanics will form a community, and sub- 
scribe $20,000, they can purchase looms, mill-stones, saw- 
mills, wood-planing machines, wood and iron turning lathes, 
farming tools, and a steam engine. This amount will also 
build a shop. This community, occupying a tract of land, 
will escape many burdens, and their children will never do 
servile work for others. 

The Plymouth pilgrims made a contract, that they should 
possess all things in common for seven years, after that 
they should be in separate families. In 1650, this instruc- 
tion was given by the secretary of New Netherlands to the 
people how they should build houses : " Dig cellars six or 
seven feet deep, and as long as is necessary. To keep 
the earth from caving, fasten bark on the sides, and cover 
the floor with plank. Take spars for the roof, and cover 
with sods and bark." This was the mode of building in 
New England at first, so as not to waste time in procuring 
food. In the course of three or four years, the country 
became better adapted to agriculture, and then better houses 
were built. 

'^The '•Oneida Community' has been established twenty 
years, and consists of 200 persons, men, women, and chil- 
dren, who own 508 acres of good land. John Noyes organ- 
ized the association. They believe the Bible is the Spirit 
of Truth. For tea and coffee substitutes are found. Tobac- 
co and ardent spirits are not allowed. The sexes generally 
room apart. As far as their means allow, every man and 
woman has a private room, with furniture and library. 

•"^-There are twenty departments in business. Each per- 
son works at that for which he is fit. They make satchels, 
carpet and traveling bags, mouse and bear traps, and sew- 
ing silk. They are wholesale dealers in silk. They can 
immense quantities of fruit. Their orchard contains fifty 



282 The Laborer; 

acres, and it is full of strawberries, blackberries, grapes, ap- 
ples, pears, and plums. Their barns and stables are large. 
The grounds are handsomely laid out in walks and drives. 
The house is three stories high, and 300 feet long, with 
two wings. They have a large hall, in which is held con- 
certs, lectures, and occasional dancing. They have a band 
of music. The government is general persuasion and par- 
ticular criticism. In sickness, *■* faith and nature " is prefer- 
red to medicine. Time has softened the virtuous indigna- 
tion they endured. They now Hve on good terms with their 
neighbors. Their belief makes them quiet and industrious, 
and mind their own business. At the age of two, the chil- 
dren are given up to be taken care of en masse. At twelve 
they mingle with the others. The capital of two commu- 
nities is $254,568. A large portion of the women are not 
very attractive. The men are thoughtful, with a tendency 
to reading. Their library contains 2,500 books. '^ 

In 181 7, some Wurtemburgers, for not fully believing the 
doctrines of Luther, had to leave that city. ^'A 'Friend* 
let them have, in Tuscarawas, Co., O., 5,500 acres of land 
at $3.00 an acre, and sixteen years to pay it. After they 
had tried other usual plans, in 18 19 they became a social 
community in the strictest sense — a co-operation, where the 
strong should support the weak, and there be no w^ants that 
united effort can not relieve. They elected a secretary and 
treasurer. There are 300 persons ; they elect three trustees 
to serve them three years, who subject all their business to a 
committee of five. They own thirty-three dwellings, a saw, 
flour, and woolen mill. The flower garden in the center 
of the village contains a hot-house. They milk too cows, 
and make 7,000 pounds of butter in a year. Fifty families 
get their milk and butter from the milk-house. The ma- 

■^Cincinnati Times, July 25, 1866. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 283 

terials for wearing apparel are kept in the " magazine/' and 
given out by the housewife to each family on application. 
Each family draws bread from the bake-house, and sends 
their washing to the public wash-house. They are of the 
opinion that too much book-learning is not good for people 
of their habits. They have a school teacher among them, 
and also a flock of 1,500 sheep. The Justice of the 
Peace performs the marriage ceremony. They meet for 
worship twice on a Sunday, and sing, and hear a sermon 
read. No public prayers. 

''•They seem ignorant of social life. They work hard, and 
idleness is entirely unknown. The children begin working 
as soon as old enough, and their life, from the 'cradle to the 
grave,' seems an endless routine of labor. Few ever see 
any money. Their wants are supplied out of a common 
fund. There are no rich or poor; all are equal, and laboring 
for a common cause. Many of them are entirely ignorant 
of the world, or any thing pertaining to it; many never 
having been three miles from home. Having little care or 
anxiety, living a moral and industrious life, they are long- 
lived and healthy. No record is kept of the food and cloth- 
ing consumed. Their wants are few, and supplied from the 
store-house. Beyond this they desire nothing. They use no 
tobacco. Sometimes they drink native wines. Their land 
and buildings are worth $1,500,000, which makes the share 
of each man, woman, and child to be $5,000. They wear 
blue fabrics of their own making. The women wear blue 
stuiF gowns, short and scant. To them pomp and display 
is nothing but vanity. Devoid of ambition or fame, ignor- 
ant of the ways and wickedness of the world, they journey 
through life, without the many disappointed hopes and 
blasted expectations that the people of this world suffer."* 

* Cincinnati Commercial, August 3, 1867. 



284 The Laborer; 

*^The Shakers owe their origin to the teachings of Ann 
Lee, who founded this sect a few years before our Revolu- 
tion. A settlement of them, near Lexington, Ky., contains 
400 persons, and they own 5,600 acres of land. No rich 
or poor are to be seen in their village. All their lands, cat- 
tle, horses, and sheep are held in common. '*'The house 
which we were shown was a model of neatness. The great 
wide hall was as cool as an iceberg, with its narrow strip of 
carpet, and painted floor, which was scoured till it glistened. 
All the furniture was home-made. The bottoms of the old- 
fashioned, high-backed chairs were woven out of narrow 
strips of white, black, brown, and green woolen cloth, and 
looked very beautiful indeed. The stove shone like a mir- 
ror, and the tongs, shovel, and wisp hung neatly by its side. 
Curtains of snowy muslin shaded the windows. Order and 
cleanliness prevailed every-where. They kept up their so- 
ciety by adopting children, of whom one in six stay to live 
a life of celibacy and holiness."* 

The moulders of Louisville have an association for get- 
ting high wages. When they forbid others to work for the 
employers, and say that these shall have only one appren- 
tice to ten workmen, they do what they have no power to 
do. Men are free. If one class of mechanics combine to 
raise their wages, the other should do the same to be equal. 
If the stove moulders combine, the stoves must sell high, 
and less will be sold. If the moulder has to pay the car- 
penter the increased rate of wages, he will see the absurdity 
of "strikes." The injury workmen do to themselves by 
strikes is to see their work done somewhere else. Strikes 
diminish the employer's capital, his machinery goes to ruin ; 
and, after a strike, the employers use fewer workmen, and 
do not employ the leaders. A strike, many years ago, in 

* Cincinnati Commercial, July, 1867. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 285 

England, among the cotton-cloth workers, made one em- 
ployer gather up his machinery and st^rt it in this country. 
A strike in England, among weavers, in 1830, led to the in- 
vention of the self-acting loom. A strike among pit saw- 
yers caused the universal introduction of steam-driven saws 
all over England. This was fortunate for the consumer, not 
so for the sawyer. A moulder in Louisville struck a man 
down, and left him dying, for not working for the price he 
dictated. The bricklayers of New York City, in 1868, 
made an unprofitable strike. When they did go to work, it 
was, perhaps, on some gorgeous mansion, an unnecessary 
store, or an expensive stable. When their work was done 
many of them went to eat and sleep in a place not fit for 
a habitation. Striking mechanics seem to forget, they in- 
crease the difficulties of employers to get work for them. 

A wood-chopper hauls wood to town for $3.00 a cord. 
Another wood-chopper says to him, let us have $5.00 for a 
cord, which we can bring about by combining,and not let- 
ting boys learn the work. This would lessen the amount of 
wood, and cause the bricklayers to shiver. The mechanic 
who would forbid a poor boy from learning a useful trade, 
has not much feeling, and would make a detestable tyrant. 
If mechanics will practice the industry and simplicity of the 
^'Zoarites" and " Rappites," * they can not consume the 
food nor wear out the clothing they can create. Some can 
do more than others, and should have more pay. Hugh 
A^iller, in his '''School and School-masters," tells us of a man 
who asked for some stone-cutting. The foreman said, ''Can 
you hew a column." He replied, "I think I can do it." 
On Monday he took a chip of his stone, and went a little 

Zoar is the name of the village in which the Ohio community live. 
Jacob Rapp, a German, with his followers, in Beaver Co., Penn., created mill- 
ions of wealth, in the form of farms, mills, and stores. They are Communists. 



286 The Laborer; 

distance and looked at it. Tuesday he trifled away. The 
strange Highlander 9n Wednesday began to work in earn- 
est. The others ceased to laugh at him. On Thursday, at 
noon, he was even with them; the laugh was on the other 
side. He had done as much as they had. On Friday night 
his column was done. The others had a hard day's work to 
do. When paid, he said '''I can hew a column." Mr. 
Miller said his uncle could build more stone wall than his 
two nephews, who worked as hard as they could. This 
proves that societies can not fix a uniform rate for other's 
wages. Some have more skill than others. 

Two of the Harpers, in early Hfe, worked sixteen hours 
a day, which has caused them to own the largest publish- 
ing house in this country. Their ambition is to supply us 
with good and cheap books. Some printers earn thirty-five 
cents an hour at their labor. There are others who endure 
the fierce heat, the bitter cold, and work for twenty cents 
an hour. There are boys who wish to be earning some- 
thing. If the Harpers choose to employ these, if they can 
be taught to do the work, who has the right to interfere. 
The employing shoe-makers of Linn, and the shop-owning 
clock-makers of Winstead, work all the unskilled labor 
they can by a division of labor, which gives to printers and 
bricklayers cheap shoes and clocks. Why should the men 
who do the severe work have the least amount of comfort ? 
All men are alike ; all should have an equal share of the 
earth and its comforts. 

This fact shows that strikes accomplish nothing. "The 
Scotch miners' strike was the most extensive and bitterly 
contested in Scotland. 40,000 men were engaged in it. 
The loss of wages was $2,500,000. The men have re- 
turned to their work under a very gloomy mood and a burn- 
ing sense of injustice." — London paper, 1856. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 287 

English workmen have a way worthy of our imitation. 
In March, 1849, ^ ^^^ pianoforte makers commenced with 
a capital of $500. They went on increasing their business, 
till they were worth $10,000. 

In August, 1848, fourteen workmen, with a capital of 
$550, formed the '^Fraternal Association of Working File 
makers." Their numbers increased to forty-two, and they 
earned a fifth more than their wages. 

In 1843, ^^^' Laclere, of France, formed partnerships 
with his workmen, to save his tools and materials. Among 
fifty workmen he divided $3,500 in a year, in addition to 
their wages, which was a fifth. 

A furniture factory in Indianapolis, containing an en- 
gine and abundant machinery, is owned by nineteen work- 
men. This shows that changes are made which will be ben- 
eficial to the working people. Many different trades are 
thus carried on in England. To see a number of journey- 
men shoe-makers or tailors in a town suffering a person to 
make gains from their labor is a reproach to them. 

The poor mechanic and humble laborer often feel hum- 
bled, when they contrast their depressed condition with that 
of the wealthy. Some roll in a splendid carriage, driving 
helter skelter here and there, while they trudge on foot. 
Some have a pew in the church, in which to show their silks 
and satins, and to listen to the sweet tones of the organ, as 
they reverberate among groined arches, and along fretted 
aisles. Some are covered with costly laces, silks embroidered 
with silver and gold, or ermine-trimmed velvets resplendent 
with jewels. To see a person thus bedizened, putting on 
a defiant air and a haughty mien, must carry to the mind 
of that poor widow a sense of great injustice. 

The laborer has but one method to rise above his condi- 
tion, and that is, to leave such people to serve themselves. 



288 The Laborer; 

By frugality and abstinence from marriage till a start is ob- 
tained, a home will be secured. The writer tried to sell his 
manuscript on labor to six publishers. Not one had the 
politeness to look at it. After much thought, I purchased 
$43.00 worth of type. I also purchased a hog at eight cents 
a pound, which I salted. I bought potatoes at $1.20 for a 
bushel. They rose in the spring to $2.00. I purchased 
beans at wholesale prices. Occasionally I had beef and mut- 
ton. My winter's daily food cost, with coffee and apples, 
eighteen cents. A pound of bread sells for ten cents. 

A pound of good flour costs six cents, and will make 
twenty-one ounces of bread^ at a cost of four and a half 
cents a pound. It is the duty of every housewife to use 
as much flour as possible. Make a batter of eggs, skimmed 
milk, and flour ; ferment it, and bake into pancakes. Have 
a generous portion left, then put it in a cloth, boil it two or 
three hours, and serve it very hot for dinner. It is to be 
eaten with butter, sugar, and honey. 

Roll out a portion of richly made paste to the diameter 
of a plate. Roll out six small pieces to the diameter of a 
saucer. On the large piece of paste spread a layer of apple 
sauce or blackberries ; spread this on each layer of paste, and 
bring the outside layer over the whole mass. Put a plate on 
the joining place, and it will keep out the water. Boil in a 
cloth. Haifa pound of chopped suet, mixed with a pound of 
flour in milk, and boiled in a cloth, makes good food, when 
eaten with honey and butter. Four cents' worth of wheat, 
pounded wet in a bag till hulled, and boiled in five quarts of 
milk, with six ounces of sugar, serves four men a meal. 

Coarse beef, with one-third of salted pork, finely chop- 
ped with hatchets on the end of wood, makes excellent food. 



CHAPTER Xllt. 

THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. 

The American Government has not Ameliorated the Condition of the 
Working People — It Should be Changed — It Benefits the Rich, not 
the Poor — Opinions of Brissot de Warville — Marc^is de Chastellux. 



"Ill fares that State, to hastening ills a prey, 
Where wealth accumulates and men decay.** 



-Goldsmith, 




ODWIN, in his '^Inquirer," says: '*'In savage life 
there is no invidious distinction. There is no one 
unequal. None are insulted by the sight of inso- 
lent wealth and idleness. As soon as the distinction of 
property exists, created by the labor of tenants and serfs, 
then there must be a ^poiver^ vested in certain individuals, 
to compel others to labor for their benefit.'^ 

To prove this, we need only to look at the varied disposi- 
tions of men ; some are good and kind, others are selfish, 
cruel, and unjust. The benevolent Howard proposed to 
his wife to visit London. She said, "The <£ioo it might 
cost would build a laborer a cottage." The journey was 
not made. He spent $50,000 in visiting European prisons, 
trying to get their woes mitigated by their sovereigns. A 
part of the Roman patricians could find pleasure in gladia- 
torial shows, where thousands of victims, monthly, must give 
up their lives, to obtain which provinces were ruined. Some 
can see others work for the necessaries of life, and not as- 
sist them. They would rather contrive schemes to plunder 

(28q) 



290 The Laborer; 

them. Franklin's satire on human society is true. He says: 

*'Some know no reason why they are born, 
Except it be to eat up the other's corn, 
To eat up all the fowl, flesh, and fish, 
And leave behind them an empty dish." 

There are many who have acquired wealth by injustice 
and oppression, and who rely on the government to enable 
them to keep it. Van Rensselaer, of N. Y. State, had giv- 
en to him a piece of land, one hundred miles by fifty, con- 
taining 3,200,000 acres, which was rented to settlers, each 
to give a bushel of wheat for nine acres, a pair of chickens, 
and a day's labor every year. The '^Patroon" had the privi- 
lege of cutting all the wood he wanted ; and when the set- 
tlers sold out, they had to give a fourth of the money to the 
Patroon. His claim was given by Queen Anne. In 1837, 
the settlers got it into their heads that Anne had no right to 
give away lands, to which they and their ancestors had ac- 
quired a title by cutting down the trees, fencing the fields, 
killing the wolves, conquering the Indians, constructing the 
roads, and fighting for it during the Revolution. To put on 
a piece of land $10,000 worth of work, and when sold to 
give $2,500 of it to this Patroon was injustice. 

This man had done nothing to the land to give it value. 
This person had rents from the cities of Albany, Troy, and 
many villages. The "renters" had a revolt, and were sub- 
dued by policemen and soldiers. 'An appeal to laws was 
in vain, as they were made by lawyers and men of wealth. 
This man had at least $200,000 as a yearly income. It 
would bother him to eat 1 1,000 worth of fruits, vegetables, 
bread, and meat in a year. This sum feeds idle servants, 
useless mechanics, sculptors, painters, and makers of curiosi- 
ties. These last make articles called virtu, which cause the 
Patroon to be a virtuoso^ a connoisseur instead of a farmer. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 291 

After nearly a century of a national existence, it becomes 
US to inquire. Are we a happier and better people. Since the 
Revolution this country has been increasing in misery and 
crime, and nothing will save this land from wretchedness 
but to return to those habits that prevailed before our Re- 
volution. Mrs. Grant came to America in 1760. In her 
book she says none were rich or poor. All had to work in 
their gardens^ except Mr. Schuyler. This was in the city 
of Albany. The Marquis De Chastellux, a French officer, 
was in this country in 1783. In his book of travels, he 
says the only poor person he saw in America was a girl, 
who had escaped from the Wyoming massacre, and she 
was living in a tavern. This writer adds, food and lodging 
are abundant every-where. 

The translator of Brissot De Warville's American Trav- 
els, says : " He was an indefatigable defender of the rights 
of mankind, an impartial reasoner and inquirer." In answer 
to an inquiry, " Can a people without any goverment be 
happy? " he says, " Yes, the numerous Quakers dispersed 
over Pennsylvania have passed half a century without mu- 
nicipal government or police, P. 16. 

" We have often observed that civil legislation has cor- 
rupted the best political institutions; it is often a crime 
against society. * * * The timidity that wealth inspires, 
disposes the rich to regard the poor as capable of being re- 
strained only by fetters. P. 35. 

" In some houses you hear the piano, God grant that the 
Boston women may never attain the malady of perfection 
in this art ! It is at the expense of domestic virtue. * * * 
The law has imprisonment for adultery. It is scarcely car- 
ried into execution — the families are pure and happy. * * * 
I see, with pain, they invoke the hair-dresser's art. This art, 
unhappily, has already crossed the seas. P. 73 



292 The Laborer; 

^' When riches are centered in a few hands, they have a 
great superfluity to favor the agreeable and frivolous arts. 
When riches are equally divided in society, there is very 
little superfluity and means of encouraging the pleasing arts. 
The ability to give encouragement to the agreeable arts is a 
sympton of a national calamity, P. 88 

" The [Boston] work-house is not so much peopled as 
you imagine. Provisions are cheap, good morals predo- 
minate, and the number of thieves and vagabonds are small. 
There is no misery here. * * ^ You travel without fear or 
arms. You sleep quietly in the woods, or in a house that 
has no locks on the doors. P. 99. 

"Almost all these houses are inhabited by men who are 
both cultivators and artisans. One is a merchant, another a 
tanner, etc. All are farmers. * * Agriculture being the basis 
of the riches of this state [Connecticut], they are here more 
equally divided. ^ * You hear nothing of robberies, murders, 
and mendicity. The American poor do not abjure all ideas 
of shame and equity. P. 121. 

''Agriculture abounds there [Albany], and the people do 
not like to hazard themselves to the dangers of the sea for 
a fortune they can draw from the bounty of the soil. The 
air is pure, the people are tolerably temperate, in good cir- 
cumstances, and there are no poor, provisions being very 
cheap. P. 130. 

'VA man in that country [Ohio] works scarcely two hours 
in a day. * * Philadelphia is already too large. When 
towns acquire this degree of population, you must have po- 
lice, spies, soldiei'S, prisons, hospitals, and all the sweeping 
train of luxury. Wherever you find luxury, provisions are 
dear. ^ * As to gold, it is degrading for a free country to 
dig for it. Gold has always served the cause of despotism. 
Liberty will find less dangerous agents in its place." P. 416 




If persons would hang up in their rooms a copy of the ten commandments, * 
list of the insurance rules, and keep houses apart, fires would not often happen. 
If taxes were abolished, the State would derive nearly enough revenue to pay its ex- 
penses, if it would insure the property of its citizens. Many patriotic people would 
like to serve society insuring, at a small salary for life. If those who insure men's 
lives, and those who subsist from the profits of insurance, were to work at cultivat- 
ing the earth, they could feed 10,000,000 of persons. Life insuring persons arc 
supposed to prevent poverty; they cause more poverty than they prevent. Nothing 
will end the ills of life but universal, useful labors; it will make earth a paradise. 

S 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 293 

This writer tells us of a visit paid to Gen. Washington, 
where Col. Humphrey assured him that the General planted 
1,100 bushels of potatoes in a year, and his estate consisted 
of 200,000 acres of land. This language occurs in M. 
Brissot's second volume: 

^' When man has every convenience, he then thinks of 
ornament. The wants of luxury are in the imagination, 
and procure imaginary pleasures only. To wear lace cloth- 
ing or drink coffee out of china is a want created by fancy. 
* * Men whose subsistence is precarious love their chil- 
dren less than the inhabitants of the country who have a 
small property. Paternity is a burden, and their children 
are ignorant of the soft caresses of paternal love. Manu- 
facturers [workmen] are condemned to vegetate in dismal 
prisons, where they respire infection, and abridge their lives. 
This alone ought to decide the Americans to reject the 
painful state of manufactures.* 

*-' If manufactures bring gold into the States they bring a 
poison that undermines them. They accustom men to serv- 
itude, and give to a republic a preponderance to aristocrat- 
ical principles. Accumulating riches in a small number of 
hands inclines republics to aristocracy. 

^^ Husbandmen are honest people. Workshops show in- 
terest struggling against interest, rich and indolent stupidity 
striving to cheat active indigence. If workshops do not 
make men rascals they dispose them to become so. * * In 
a republic none should be wretched — want obliges them to 
disturb civil order. They are paid by the rich, who may 
make use of them to destroy republicanism. ^ ^ ^ Plate is 
used in the South, where slavery reigns, and many are poor 

■^ This writer had ample opportunities to observe how miserable were lace- 
makers, jewelers, silk weavers, and others. To his mind, to take the people 
from productive employment was to make them poor. He saw the people had 
good woolens and linens, which each made for himself. 

26 



294 The Laborer; 

there. There are none in the North — no plate is used 
there. * * America is not yet gnawed by the vermin which 
devour Europe, by indestructible mendicity. Thieves ren- 
der not her forests dangerous. Her public roads are not 
stained with blood shed by assassins and robbers. There 
are no beggars, no indigent persons, no subjects forced to 
steal the subsistence of others to procure one for them- 
selves. Every man finds land to produce him articles of 
subsistence, and it is not loaded with taxes, but renders him 
a recompense for his labor. A man who can live easily 
never consents to dishonor himself by useless crimes, the 
torments of remorse, and the vengeance of society."* 

Mr. Winterbottom, in his ^^History of America," tells us : 
^'The thirty-sixth article of the [Pennsylvania] constitution 
says : 'Every freeman, to preserve his independence, ought to 
have some profession, calling, trade, or farm, whereby he 
can honestly subsist. There can be no use in establishing 
offices of profit, the usual effects of which are dependence, 
servility, faction, contentions, corruptions, and disorders 
among the people. Wherefore, whenever an office, through 
increase of fees, becomes so profitable that many apply for 
it, the profit should be lessened.' 

''The Americans pay few taxes, and no tithes. The 
rich have no power of oppressing there. Not many have 
great riches. Poverty is almost unknown. Mr. Cooper 
saw only one beggar, and he was an Englishman. 

■^" This writer visited this land in 1787. His writings are full of instruction 
to the Americans. The troubles that he foresaw are upon us. He went back 
to France. On the 31st of Oct. 1793, he and nineteen others were guillotined 
for being in opposition to Robespierre, Barrere, and others. Their last words 
were **Vive la Republique." They all commenced to sing the Marseillese 
hymn at execution. As their voices became lessened, the sounds grew feeble. 
At last one stood up to sing, his voice was silenced. Their execution was 
concluded in thirty-seven minutes. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 295 

''The homestead is given to the youngest son. An un- 
married man of thirty is scarcely to be found in the coun- 
try towns. A grandmother at forty and her married daugh- 
ter, each having an infant, are often seen together. 

"The privileged aristocracy of Europe are often without 
a single virtue, rolling at ease in splendor, preying upon the 
fruits of honest industry, and devouring the earnings of the 
virtuous peasant. Their depraved manners extend poison 
through all the channels of human happiness. 

''In America this class of persons is not known. The 
mass of inhabitants, exclusive of servants, consists of those 
who possess lands in fee simple. A mediocrity of situation 
is common in America. There are but few whose in- 
comes will reach <£2,000, and the numbers are nearly as 
small who are reduced to a dependent situation. 

"There are in America but few people like the poor in 
England. There are few great proprietors of land, and 
few tenants. All follow some handicraft. Very few people 
are rich enough to live on rents or incomes, to pay the high 
price for paintings, statues, architecture, or any works of 
art more curious than useful. Wanton extravagance, use- 
less parade, and quarrels are not common. Boxing matches 
are unknown. No military to keep the people in awe. A 
robbery is rare. There was none during the yellow fever in 
Philadelphia. 

" In England, the young man flies to prostitution, for fear 
of the expense of a family. In America no man is anxious 
about the expense of his family. Every man feels the in- 
crease of his family to be an increase of riches, and no far- 
mer doubts his ability to provide for them. 

" In Great Britain, perpetual exertion, incessant industry, 
daily deprivation of the comforts of life, are incumbent on 
the man of middle life. In America it is otherwise. The 



296 The Laborer; 

mass of the people are untainted^ hence their freedom from 
artificial poverty, and the diffusion of the common conven- 
iences of life. 

"In England, if a man is unfortunate, the crowd trample 
on him. In America there is room to get up again. Part 
of the tradesmen live in the country, and reside on from one 
to one hundred and fifty acres, which they cultivate at their 
leisure with their wives and children."* 

Isaac Weld visited America in 1807. It seems from 
reading his "Travels in North America," that he found 
money did not command respect. If this Englishman had 
seen any want or poverty he would have mentioned it. He 
says : " The generality of servants, in Philadelphia, are emi- 
grants. They remain in servitude till they can save some 
money, then they quit their master for the independence so 
natural to the mind of man. As to the Americans, none 
but the most indifferent enter into service ; it is considered 
only suitable for negroes. Civility can not be purchased on 
any terms. They consider it incompatible with freedom, 
and that there is no other way of convincing a stranger he 
is in a land of liberty, only by being surly and ill-mannered 
in his presence. 

"At the taverns the bread was sour, the fruit acrid, and it 
was difficult to get a horse rubbed down." Mr. Weld de- 
scribes how wretched slavery makes a people, and how the 
common people fight, and how they gouge out the eye. 
"In Virginia every fourth man appears with an eye out." 

Duke De La Rochefoucalt Liancourt wandered up and 
down this country from 1795 to 1797. His principles 
were opposite to those of Brissot's. In his book of " Trav- 
els," he says: "The people of America live well. There 

*This history was written in 1795, ^^"^ circulation in England. It is 
in four volumes, quarto size. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. fj^:^ 

are few persons who do not possess more than they need 
for their maintenance. Hence the indolence of the inhabi- 
tants. * * * There are seldom any poor in Roxborough 
County [near Philadelphia]. Laborers are scarce in New- 
ark. The district contains no paupers, there exist no poor- 
rates. * ^ ^ Morristown is seven miles from Philadelphia. 
Its jail is only inhabited by the keeper. Poor-rates are sel- 
dom necessary. At present no paupers are there. * * * 
The laws of the State of New York have established poor- 
rates. There are few to be found of this description in 
that new country. * * * Herkimer Co. contains 25,000, 
persons. Two of these received public relief. =^ * * John 
Schuyler has 1,500 acres of land ; 500 acres are cleared. 
He owns three mills, and his yearly taxes were $35.00." 

''John Melish gives us two volumes of travels in this 
country from, 1806 to 1809. He says: " The people are 
remarkably civil and industrious. 'The genius of archi- 
tecture seems to have shed his maledictions over the land.'^ 
There are no large towns, there seems to be no occasion for 
them. Mankind are better accommodated in small towns 
than in large cities. The inhabitants are mostly farmers, 
and produce on their farms every necessary of life. One 
day's labor was sufficient to keep the family a week." 

This writer, by this record, has given us the causes of the 
poverty of this country. '"The Ohio Company's pur- 
chase' is along the Ohio River seventy miles, from north 
to south eighty, and contains 1,000,000 acres. The retail 
price of this land was from $2.00 to $20.00 an acre. 

'"The Symmes's purchase' is between the two Miamis, 

*This writer paid a visit to Thos. Jefferson, and has saved us this one of his 
noble sayings. A beautiful store is built by profits the people have not yet 
learned to save. That imposing college is often built by speculations on 
public lands. The grand public edifice is often built by forced contributions. 
Were the common people wise, this excessive labor would be on their homes. 



298 The Laborer; 

it contained more than 1,000,000 of acres, and was sold for 
$5.00 an acre. Mr. Zane, of Wheeling, for surveying a 
road, had given to him lands that are the sites of Zanesville, 
New Lancaster, and a tract of bottom land opposite Chil- 
licothe, one mile square. *" The Scioto Company's pur- 
chase' contained 2,000,000 of acres. 

"'The Western Reserve lands' were 122 miles long, 
and 45 wide, and contained 3,423,360 acres. In 1795, 
500,000 acres were given to those on the Connecticut sea- 
shore, whose towns were burnt by the British during the 
Revolution. The remainder of the land, was sold by the 
Connecticut Legislature, to Oliver Phelps and others for 
$1,200,000. This, land in, 18 10 was re-sold for two and 
four dollars an acre. 

"'•The Holland purchase' was 100 miles square^ and con- 
tained 4,000,000 of acres, in the vicinity of Lake Ontario, 
and the Genesee River. The retail price was $3.50 for an 
acre, five per cent, in cash, and the balance to be paid 
in six annual payments.^' 

This writer gives us a pleasing description of the "Rapp 
Colony." He says: "'The Harmonist Society' had its 
origin in Wurtemberg. The Lutheran religion had be- 
come predominate, to which every body had to contribute. 
These men maintained that the religion taught by Luther 
had been destroyed, and in place of it, to regulate the life, 
and regenerate the mind, it was converted into an engine of 
power, to the civil government, to keep the people in check. 
They were subjected to fines and imprisonments. 

"In 1805, they organized a constitution, and founded it 
on Acts, ch. iv, v. 32. This society, in their new American 
home, in 1809, had 4,500 bushels of wheat, 4,500 of rye, 
4,500 of barley, 10,000 of potatoes, 4,000 lbs of flax, 
and 1,000 sheep. In 18 10, they numbered 800 persons. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 299 

"They owned 9,000 acres of land. Their mills, dwell- 
ings, and lands amount to $220,000. They live pure lives, 
and resign their offspring to the society at death. They 
have no fear of want, no care, no use for money. They 
help each other, and are free from the temptations that the 
rest of mankind are subject too. There is no crime or im- 
morality among them." 

Had these people lived in the city, and become chin- 
shavers, head-washers, grotesque stone-carvers, toy-makers, 
wood-carvers, and frivolous workers, they would have been 
poor and miserable, their children drudges, sewing-girls in 
shops with the windows in dark, dirty alleys. Some of these 
societies are still prosperous and getting richer. The time 
may come vvhen laborers will live in ^^ baronial halls/' sur- 
rounded with umbrageous walks, grassy lawns, beautiful 
conservatories, well filled graperies, abundant vineyards, 
bounteous orchards, flowery parterres, productive gardens, 
and pleasing apiaries. 

The ^^Zoarites" do not increa-se, and their children wan- 
der off to enjoy gavety elsewhere. There can be no harm 
in making their home attractive to prevent this. When a 
man has a house, a granary, a fenced field, he may indulge 
in the fine arts ; if he creates them with his own hands, then 
no one is injured. To take by force or fraudthe food and 
clothes of another, and give them to scene painters and trifle 
makers is an injustice. Those who nourish these artists 
never see their wondrous productions.* 

The writer resolved he would make a painting by getting up early in the 
morning at midsummer, and painting to seven o'clock, the hour for labor. With 
pencil I copied a book scene, and put on the varied colored paints. After 
sixty mornings I then showed the painting to a "tinner" and a "plumber," 
the two first to see it. One said : " Whoever saw such sharp rocks on a sea- 
shore." Said the other : " They are put there to hnd freight for the boat." 
The scene was a boat at sea, sailors on the shore, cottage and hills in the dis- 



300 The Laborer; 

In 1818, a Philadelphia printer, of the name of H. Hall, 
printed a series of '^Letters on Pennsylvania," written by 
C. B. Johns. He says: ^^ There are no poor here. A la- 
borer gets $1.25 for a day's labor, f 1,00 will purchase 
20 lbs of beef, or 20 lbs of pork, or 16 lbs of flour. The 
labor of four days will give him support for a month. I 
have been in four houses, and the men are sitting down in- 
stead of working. Sheep skins, heads, and breasts are 
thrown away." 

The laborer of half a century ago did not accumulate a 
pile of money to generate stealers. He created a heap of 
food, and then ate it. A thief in these improved days stole 
some silver-plate. He sent a letter to his victim saying: 
'^ Allow me, sir respectfully to suggest to you in future you 
will content yourself with cheap spoons, and spend your 
surplus cash in the cause of humanity and Christ." 

Abbe Raynal, when speaking of the criminals sent to this 
country, says : ^^ If they had not quitted their country, dis- 
grace and shame, which never fail to depress the mind, 
would have prevented them from recovering either regular- 
ity of manners or pubHc esteem. But, in another country, 
where the experience they had of vice might prove a lesson 
of wisdom, and where they had no occasion to attempt to 
remove any unfavorable impressions, they found, after their 
misfortunes, a harbor in which they rested with safety. In- 
dustry made amends for their past follies. Men who had 
left Europe like vagabonds, and who had disgraced it, re- 
turned honest men and useful members of society. 

"All these colonists had at their disposal, for clearing 
and tilling their lands, the most profligate set of men in 

tance. I never painted a cloud, a tree, or a wave before. A determined will 
works wonders. My ambition is with my own hands to build a house and 
have some home-made paintings. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 301 

the three kingdoms, who had deserved death for capital 
crimes, but who, from motives of humanity and policy, 
were suffered to live and work for the benefit of the state. 
These malefactors, who were transported for a term of 
years, which they were to spend in slavery, became industri- 
ous^ and acquired manners^ which placed them once more in 
the way to fortune. There were some of those who, when 
restored to society by the freedom they had gained, became 
planters, heads of families, and the owners of the best plan- 
tations — a proof of how much it is for the interest of a civi- 
lized society to admit this lenity in the penal laws, so con- 
formable to human nature, which is frail, but capable of 
sensibility, and of turning from evil to good." 

Jeremy Bentham, in his ^*" Theory of Legislation," says : 
"The English, before the independence of America, were 
in the habit of sending their convicts to that country. This 
was slavery to some, to others pleasure. A rogue was a 
fool if he did not commit some offense to get an outfit and 
a free passage. Some of the convicts gained a home and 
property,'^ — Penal Code. 

Lord Kames, in his " Sketches on Governments," says : 
" Our American settlements are now so prosperous, ban- 
ishment there is scarce a punishment. It may, however, be 
now a sufficient punishment for theft." 

Mrs. Kitty Trevelyan, in her diary of the "The Times 
of Whitefield and Wesley," written in 1745, says: " There 
are the convicts, our outcast countrymen, working out their 
sentences beside the negroes on the plantations." 

Voltaire, in a preface to another's book, speaks of trans- 
ported criminals to America as becoming honest."^ De 
Toqueville, in his writings, alludes to this subject. 

*The writer regrets that the note he made from Voltaire is mislaid. Men 
are made bad by circumstances. If you change them, men become better. 

27 



302 The Laborer; 

James I " ordered dissolute persons to be sent to Vir- 
ginia." Statutes were enacted that crimes punishable with 
death might be commuted by the courts to banishment. A 
reason for this act was '''in many of the colonies there was 
a want of servants, who, by their labor and industry, might 
improve the said colonies and make them more useful.^' 

The Legislature of Virginia passed an act, that persons 
who disposed of these convicts should give Xioo security 
for their proper behavior. Those who purchased them 
gave Xio security that they should do no harm. In 1750, 
about 400 felons were yearly sent to Maryland. 

In 1752, the New York "Independent Reflector" says: 
^^'Very surprising that a horde of the most flagitious banditti 
upon earth should be sent as agreeable companions to us ! 
It is intended as a punishment. It is a mistake; they are 
highly rewarded. What can be more agreeable to a wretch, 
driven through necessity to seek a livelihood by house- 
breaking, and robbing on the highway, to be saved from the 
halter, the stench of a jail, and transported to a country 
where no man can reproach him for crimes ; where labor 
is high, where a little will support him, and all his expenses 
will be moderate and low ? " 

The Revolution put an end to convict emigration. In 
1 80 1, Botany Bay had 5,000 convicts and 500 free people. 
This was the germ that will be a mighty nation. This in- 
fant people was divided into servants, soldiers, and masters. 
The poor convict had only a small burden to bear, he be- 
came virtuous. When the lawyer, clergyman, scholar, 
merchant, physician, philosopher and others are added to the 
burdens of the untaught convict, then the heavy, crushing 
machinery of government must be brought into requistion 
to compel submission. The result is jails, gibbets, gallows, 
engines of torture, well-dressed men with clubs, and soldiers 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 303 

with bayonets. These convicts had in one year 10,000 
acres of wheat, 7,000 sheep, 1,300 head of cattle, and 5,000 
hogs. The convicts having to eat this themselves would 
be virtuous. To fasten on them the various orders of so- 
ciety was to make them poor, and cause them to be crim- 
inal to their oppressors. In place of soldiers and masters if a 
few mechanics had been given them to teach them how to 
labor, a greater amount of justice would have been done to 
them. Society makes men wicked. Put them in the way 
of earning an easy living, and you do much toward making 
men better. 

O'Hara, in his " Hist, of New South Wales," says : '' In 
1819, the colony had 20,000 people. They had 170,920 
sheep, 44,750 head of cattle, and the acres of land culti- 
vated was 47,564. ^ * ^ Their '''Gazette" tells us that ''•a 
person is desirous of instructing children in polite diction." 
In 1822, a commissioner was appointed to inquire into the 
condition of the colony. He finds fault with setting con- 
victs to work on public buildings with pilasters and pillars, 
when many are wanting covering. The convict can buy his 
time off the government for seven shillings a week. Sam- 
uel Terrey, a convict, has got 1,900 acres of land, 1,450 
head of cattle, and 3,800 sheep." ^ 

There are many people who have no governments, and 
are virtuous. Lewis and Clark were sent to explore the 
Rocky Mountains by President Jefferson. These men in 
their journal tell us they saw tribes of Indians among whom 
the crime of stealing was unknown. A traveler among the 

■^ The avarice and selfishness of this man creates governments. The na- 
tives keep the colony together. This, with the sale of lands, makes the convict 
a drudge to the more knowing. The discovery of gold in this land has made 
bolts and locks necessary, and also governments. This gold caused crime, 
which took men frDm productive labor to prevent and punish it. This land is 
not as virtuous as it was. There are too few at useful work. 



304 The Laborer; 

Esquimaux Indians says their oars, lances, and every thing 
of value was exposed, and none v^ere guilty of stealing. Mr. 
Robert Percival says: '*• The Ceylonese are courteous and 
polite in their behavior. I have already exempted them 
from the censure of lying and stealing." 

Lord Karnes, in his ''' History of Man," says: "Riches, 
selfishness, and luxury are the diseases that weaken pros- 
perous nations, that corrupt the heart, and dethrone the 
moral sense. Men hesitate at no expense to purchase pleas- 
ure, and at no vice to supply that expense. Looking back 
to the commencement of civil society, when no wants but 
those of nature were known, and when such wants were 
amply provided for, we find individuals of the same tribe 
living innocently and cordially together. They had no ir- 
regular appetites, nor any ground for strife. In that state 
moral principles joined their influence with that of national 
affection to secure individuals from harm. Savages, accord- 
ingly, who have plenty of food and are simple in habitation 
and clothing, seldom transgress the rules of morality within 
their own tribe. 

" Didorus Siculus says the inhabitants of Britain dwelt 
in mean cottages, contented with plain and homely fare, 
and strangers to the excess and luxury of rich men. In 
Holland locks and keys were unknown, till the people be- 
came rich by commerce. The Laplanders have no notion 
of theft. This crime was unknown among the Caribbees. 
In the reign of Edwin, King of Northumberland, an histo- 
rian reports that a child might have traveled with a purse of 
gold without hazard or robbery. In our days of luxury, so 
intolerable is want, that even the fear of death will not 
deter men. Paul Carpi, in 1246, said the Tartars were 
not addicted to thieving. Pagans in Siberia are a moral, 
good people. Among them thieving and fraud are rare.^' 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 305 

Lord Karnes goes through much reasoning to prove that 
governments introduce misery into society. It can not be 
denied that the people, before the Revolution, were virtuous 
and no crime prevailed. Thomas Jefferson, in his ^' Notes 
on Virginia," makes no allusion to crime or poverty, hence 
we may safely conclude there was none.* In these notes, 
he says: ^'I never saw a native begging. A subsistence is 
easily gained here. * * * Corruption of the mass of cul- 
tivators is a phenomenon, which no age or nation has ever 
produced an example." 

The fathers of the Revolution, to judge by their acts, 
believed in a class ^^to do the mean duties of life, on which 
to build refinement and civilization." The first method is 
to let men have large quantities of land, not for the purpose 
of cultivation, but to sell for a high value, to get money 
without working for it. A laborer has not the time to read, 
or the money to purchase Smith's Theory of Moral Senti- 
ments, Wayland's Moral Science, or Thomas Brown's 
Moral Philosophy. He must reason the question his own 
way. A thief wants money, so does a land speculator. 
The scheming of the one is legalized, the other is not. To 
the mind of a person not versed in moral ethics, as taught 
by college men, he must reason thus. The land was made 
by the Creator for his children, and he designs all to have 
an equal share. That one man should pay another for a 
piece of wild land is unjust, and a usurpation on the rights 
of men. The Creator designed land to be free. 

For the fathers of the nation, to give whole districts to a 
few, was an outrage — it was giving the common people to be 
a prey to speculators. This later government has given to 

"^ If the reader will examine this subject he will find this is truth. M. 
Brissot tells us that Boston took care off 150 old and diseased persons. These 
were mostly strangers. Boston then was a seaport town — a cause for poverty. 



3o6 The Laborer; 

railroads 3,000,000 of acres, from which enormous for- 
tunes will be made, and it will make the condition of many 
of the Americans but httle better than serfs. In an agricul- 
tural country the people labor four hours a day. When rail- 
roads are built the farmers work ten hours a day. They give 
their surplus for foreign luxuries. A poor drudge, who 
handles this surplus in its transit, gets as pay for a week's 
work what will keep him two. The farmer creates in one 
week what will keep him ten. When the railroad laborer 
becomes as wise as the farmer, he will say to him. Risk your 
own life, do your own carrying. It is the object of legisla- 
tion to make a part of men drudges. If the $30,000,000 
that has been spent in Illinois on railroads had been used 
to introduce the manufacture of the various luxuries that 
come from abroad, the people would be happier and better. 
The people of Illinois should have built their own roads. 
To print $30,000,000 would have cost $15,000. For these 
notes the merchants and farmers would support the road- 
makers. These two classes fed and clothed the workmen 
for the capitalists. They should have done it for them- 
selves, and owned the road. 

The cost of the railroads in this land is $1,600,000,000. 
The cost of the railroads in Massachusetts is $18,000,000; 
the earnings yearly are $6^500,000. The New York rail- 
roads cost $1,700,000, and earned yearly $50,000,000. The 
Pennsylvania railroads cost $222,000,000, and earned one- 
fifth of this sum. The Cleveland roads cost $4,868,427, 
and earned $2,659,346. The Terre Haute railroad earned 
yearly $1,134,549, and cost $1,984,149. 

In the island of Guernsey, near France, the authorities, to 
build a market-house, issued paper notes which circulated. 
The rent was paid in these notes. This same plan would 
have gradually filled this land with ^railroads, the profits of 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 307 

wbich would have raised a revenue sufficient fo the pur 
poses for which taxes are assessed. The canal built by the 
Duke of Bridgewater, a century ago, pays enormous profits. 
The c£ioo share sells for £1,500. Had the city of Man- 
chester issued notes, passed them as money, and built this 
canal, the annual revenue derived from it would be equal 
the first cost of it. 

The '''Prairie Farmer" notices some of the large farms 
in the West : " Broadland's contains 23,000 acres. Fow- 
ler & Earl's farm, in Benton County, Indiana, numbers 
26,000 acres. Sumner's farm contains 13,000 acres. In 
the same county is the Boswell farm, containing 8,000 acres. 
Many farms in the Wabash Valley contain from 1,000 to 
3,000 acres. The owner of Broadland has in Ford County, 
a farm of 40,000 acres. Another has a farm of 17,000 
acres. Mr. Sullivant's farm, in Illinois, contains 40,000 
acres. This man has a large village, and all the inhabi- 
tants work for him under overseers." This looks like feud- 
alism — like scenes in Russia. To see gangs of men work- 
ing hard to enrich another, should arouse a feeling of indig- 
nation in the mind of every humane man. 

It may be said with truth, that the owners of these large 
farms give to their hands one-third of the crop. A bar- 
gain like this is often made. For three centuries the Afri- 
can Moors had a habit of taking vessels, robbing them, and 
carrying the sailors into slavery, who were allowed to have 
one-third of what they earned. General Eaton, at Tunis, in 
1799, writes thus: ''Truth and justice demand from me 
this confession, that the Christian slaves among the barba- 
rians of Africa are treated with more humanity than slaves 
in civilized America." These slaves could purchase their . 
time, and had Sunday and saint days to keep. They were 
out of the way of harm. They could believe whatever they 



308 The Laborer; 

pleased. At home, if they should change from Catholicism 
to Protestantism, the Inquisition behaved disagreeably to 
them. Even to be a Quaker w^as to suffer imprisonment. 
These slaves worked at trades, became merchants, accu- 
mulated fortunes, and purchased their freedom. In Chris- 
tendom a poor man has been punished for stealing a pint of 
peas to satisfy hunger. The Algerine was indulgent. Stolen 
goods when found were taken away. The Koran said : 
"A slave was not a free agent ; if he stole to satisfy hunger, 
he could not legally be punished for theft." Captain Pic- 
hellin had 800 slaves, and they had a good time at stealing. 
On one occasion a slave stole and sold the anchor of a gal- 
ley. Said Pichellin : '^You Christian dog, how dare you 
sell my anchor?" Said the slave: ^^ I thought the galley 
would sail better without the additional weight.^' This re- 
ply caused a laugh. 

All of these slaves could not rise above their condition. 
A successful expedition was gotten up to deliver them. A 
wrong exists among us. A class of men get possession of 
the public lands, and compel the most virtuous part of the 
community to work for them eight hours out of twelve. 
Sturgis, of Chicago, has 300,000 acres, which will take him 
two days to ride around it on horseback. This man has 
gone among the Kansas Indians and bought out their claim, 
which gives him 8,000,000 of acres more. 

Since 1784, land speculators have made thousands of 
millions of dollars. Their plunderings are equal in value 
to the depredations of the thieves. If the farmers, mer- 
chants, and mechanics would unite with the laborers to get 
free homes, it would be done. " Harper's Magazine," for 
. 1 868, in an article called '^ Trip to Colorado," said : ^' In the 
stage was a person looking for lands to locate them." The 
stage was attacked by Indians, and found refuge at a fort 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 309 

The speculators of the nation get the advance of the la- 
borers when they locate lands before the Indians leave, 
and have the United States soldiers to protect them. The 
laborer, to get lands, must go over beyond those of the spec- 
ulators, where the Indians will kill him. 

Had the fathers of the nation not been so selfish, and 
given the lands to those only who would settle them in lim- 
ited quantities, or 160 acres, the people of this nation would 
be more virtuous and happier. Men's inability to occupy 
lands makes them criminal. How noble it would have 
been had the fathers of the nation set apart, in every town- 
ship two square miles of land for a town site ! It would have 
given homes to 1,280 mechanics ; to each two acres, on 
which to be happy, and not be the victims of base men. 

There is another wrong government does: it encourages 
gold-seeking — to obtain which takes men from useful toil, 
and increases the toils of those who remain to do it. The 
amount of gold given us by California is $1,500,000,000. 
The labor to seek this gold would have made half of the 
American people good homes. 

This extract shows how some people do not like to offer 
premiums to men to steal : ^' They say in Siberia — that 
a man deserves to be robbed who carries his money in such 
a small compass as silver coin in a purse."* This people 
find their safety in having their treasures in the form of 
goods. Paper money enables those who issue it to double 
their wealth. Wm. Penn sold 1,000 acres for $95, or he 
rented fifty acres for a yearly rent of a cent an acre. The 
farmer could borrow money off the State at six per cent., 
and have sixteen years to pay it. The interest paid the ex- 
penses of the State, and saved the people from taxation. 

■^** Travels in Siberia j or, Spectacles for Young Eyes.'' By Sarah W. Lan- 
der. Boston: Walker, Wise, & Company. 1864. 



310 The Laborer; 

It has been computed that 2,300,000 white families in 
this land have no homes of their own. In New York 
city 750,000 persons live in tenant houses. These make 
115,986 families; of these, 15,990 families have a separate 
house; 14,362 families live two in a house; 4,416 build- 
ings each contains three families; 11,965 houses contain 
each seven families; 113 rear-houses each contains fifteen 
families or seventy persons ; twenty-four houses each con- 
tains eighty persons; seventy-two houses each contains 
ninety-five persons ; 193 houses each contains ill persons ; 
seventy-two houses each contains 140 persons ; twenty-nine 
houses contain 5,449 persons, or 187 to each house.* 

The reason of this destitution is, labor is put in a wrong 
place. A Presbyterian family resides in a house in this city 
[Cincinnati], that cost, with its furniture and surroundings, 
$300,000. The stone-carved front of the nice stable has a 
delicately stone-carved horse-head over the entrance, the 
labor on this would make plain homes for many widows. 
Jerome, a horse-racing banker, ornaments the inside of his 
stables with black walnut panels, grained and varnished 
woods, which cause many to be homeless. 

One source of this nation's wrongs is to get the extreme 
rich to make the people's laws or rules that must govern 

*The writer knew a man whose farm [r6o acres] became part of a city. 
His plan was to divide each acre into lots of an eighth, and sell them for 
$175 or each acre for $1,400, or the whole farm for $220,000. His chil- 
dren became heads of families, and lived finely on the interest of these exac- 
tions. Nature demands that these families and their servants should work 
at something useful. This man was a professing Christian, and to ease his 
conscience he no doubt gave to the missionaries. These have to be fed and 
clothed. If these idle families were creators of what they and missionaries 
need, more of them can be sustained. If the 1,280 families were eagh to 
retain their money, seventy persons could be set to work at those pursuits 
which sustain missi(maries. Wesley's **Journal " says : " Georgian Indians 
learned drunkenness and gluttony of Christians. Who will convert the Eng- 
lish into honest heathens ?'* It is absurd to become rich to keep missionaries. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 311 

our conduct. To choose the man who has made his own 
riches by selfishness to make laws for us, is to choose our 
enemy. A very rich man has no feelings for the poor. 
The other day, in New York City, a carriage, containing a 
man worth $40,000,000, was carelessly driven over an 
Irish woman, and it injured her. To the policeman while 

arresting him, he said, "/ am Commodore Van /." 

The magistrate dismissed the case with as little detention 
as possible. If this man had got out and lifted her into his 
carriage, and expressed sympathy and given her a $100, it 
would have done some good. A poor hackman, for driving 
against a woman and not injuring her, was fined $3.00. 

A man in Albany, whose yearly income is $100,000, has 
a poor, hard-working niece, who suffers for necessary com- 
fort, and who would be placed in a comfortable position 
by a single f 100 yearly from her uncle. The laborer must 
choose men from his own class to make laws or rules — a 
man of frugality and plainness, not given to ostentation or 
show. An intelligent farmer will make the best law-maker. 
The earth he cultivates never cheats him ; it makes him vir- 
tuous. He has no occasion to tell thumping lies to live. A 
farmer knows the earth will give him a support. He will 
not take bribes, or make riches out of the people. 

The National Government seems to be an institution for 
taxing the people for the benefit of private interests or cor- 
porations. Many of the presidents and others get rich in .the 
employment of the goverment. General Cass was worth 
$5,000,000. James Buchanan made $200,000. Mr. Fill- 
more is very rich. J. Q. Adams left $50,000. J. K. Polk 
saved $150,000. J. Tyler left $50,000. Z. Taylor, at his 
death, bequeathed $160,000. F. Pierce saved, while Presi- 
dent, $50,000. Van Buren died rich. Webster spent mill- 
ions, and died owing $250,000. His property was worth 



312 The Laborer; 

$20,000. Henry Clay acquired an estate worth $100,000. 
Among the very many acts of peculation by Congress was 
the "Galphin claim." In 1773, George Galphin obtained 
from the Creeks a piece of land, which he gave to Georgia. 
After fifty years, the descendants of this man claimed com- 
pensation, which was granted to the amount of $243,871. 
$3,000,000 was given to the chiefs of the " Creek Nation," 
for restoring to Georgians fugitive slaves. The ^' Florida 
War" cost $40,000,000, it was to recover 1,500 escaped 
slaves. It sacrificed the lives of 4,500 soldiers. Among the 
items of expense was thirty bloodhounds at a cost of thirty- 
three dollars each. These were fed on calves, and attended 
by five Spaniards. To carry to the scene of operations, the 
bloodhounds, calves, and Spaniards were put on the backs 
of mules. Away they went to hunt men who wanted to be 
free. This was in the palmy days of Democracy. A fair 
lady went among '*'the wisdom of the nation," and got a 
claim allowed for $200,000, which was rejected when pre- 
sented by the "sterner sex." 

The room devoted to lady lobbyists is a sumptuous apart- 
ment. The carpet makes footsteps noiseless. Two windows 
in the thick walls, with heavy curtains hanging from cor- 
nice to floor make, cosy retreats. The chandelier is of mass- 
ive bronze. The ceiling is frescoed in high colors and deli- 
cate drawing. Fascinating serpents and birds of gay plum- 
age, are blended in the design. The sofas are covered with 
green velvet. Here legal ladies, with snowy fingers, point to 
important places in papers prepared in lawyers' offices. The 
means to keep us from a foreign foe has made an inside ene- 
my, and consumed a sum equal to the whole nation's wealth. 




CHAPTER XIV. 



THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, 




Its Causes, Cruelties, and Benefits — A Contest Between Nobles and 
People — The Number of its Victims — The Edict of Nantes — The 
Profligacy of the Kings of France — Death of Louis Fourteenth, 

"The oppressed have a right to rise against their oppressors." — Abbe Raynal. 

EVOLUTIONS are painful remedies for the la- 
borer's wrongs. They seem to be necessary to 
teach kings and oppressors how far they can go 
with wrong doing. They can give volumes of rules to 
men, and punish for not keeping them. These rules vio- 
late often men's ideas of what is right. William the Nor- 
man enacted, that whosoever killed his deer should lose his 
eyes. He also had severe enactments against those who 
took wood from the forests. No kind of reasoning, written 
or spoken, will convince the humble that they have no share 
in these things. 

In the reign of Henry VHI, "72,000 rogues, great and 
small, were trussed apace," that is, hung for stealing. The 
number of people at this period was 1,000,000. About one 
in twenty was "devoured and eaten up by the gallows." * 
In the reign of George III, at one time fourteen persons 
were seen by thousands suspended by their necks for po- 
litical faults. During the reign of this monarch more than 
100,000 persons were hung, banished, punished, and mal- 

*" Chronicles of Holinshed>'* an historian in the reign of Elizabeth. 

(in) 



314 The Laborer; 

treated for faults that would have never happened if society 
had acted hke the Acadians in Nova Scotia, who, for 133 
years, had no case of crime or breach of public morals. It 
may be said that the people are made worse by being ruled 
by the wise."^ The poor man who took home a part of a 
pampered horse's food, for which he was punished, would 
not have done it, had not the wise, or, perhaps the wicked, 
contrived usages and theories that exempted them from la- 
bor. Revolutions come from injustice. 

''f France, from its earliest ages, had its assembly in the 
field of May. The king presided over the clergy, nobility, 
and sometimes the lower orders. The chiefs could only 
speak. The feudal system arose on the ruins of the em- 
pire of Charlemagne, and France had a monarch only in 
name. Haughty dukes, surrounded by warriors in castles, 
exercised over vassals the prerogatives of royalty, and often 
eclipsed the monarch in splendor. Their power was abso- 
lute over serfs, who tilled his acres and huddled under their 
castles for safety. In the language of the feudal code, the 
duke 'might take all they had, and imprison thern when 
he pleased, being accountable to none.' 

'^ France was a number of provinces, with scarcely any 
bond of union, dotted with castles on craggy hills, or river 
bluffs. These baronial fortresses were flanked by towers, 
pierced with loopholes, and fortified with battlements, and 
surrounded by a ditch. There was one large banqueting- 
hall where retainers and vassals met, in which was aristo- 
cratic supremacy and democratic equality. Every knight 
swore feality to the baron, the baron to the duke, the duke 
to the king, who could claim service from these and not 
from the serfs, Some dukes had more retainers, and were 
richer than the king. 

■5^ See page lOO. -j-This chapter is taken from Abbott's French Revolution. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 315 

'*• T^e line of the Capets became extinct on the death of 
Charles IV. The parliament at Paris gave the crown to 
Philip of Valois. The nobles, having a king to their wishes, 
complained that they had borrowed large sums of money of 
merchants and artisans, which it was not convenient to pay, 
and that it was inconsistent with the dignity of nobles to pay 
low born, A decree was passed that all debts should be 
cut down one-fourth, and that four months should be with- 
out interest. To reduce these plebeian creditors to a proper 
state of humility, the king ordered them to be imprisoned, 
and their property confiscated. 

" He created a court at Paris of such magnificence, that 
the lords abandoned their castles for the city, to share its vo- 
luptuous indulgences. Neighboring kings were attracted to 
this court on account of its splendor. The nobles needed 
vast sums of money to sustain this extravagance. Overseers 
drove peasants to their toil, and extorted from them every 
farthing possible. The king, to replenish his exhausted 
purse, assumed the sole right of making and selling salt to 
each family, at an exorbitant price. Nobles were exempt 
from this and every kind of tax. Vincennes was then the 
great banqueting hall of Europe. 

'^■In its present decay, it exhibits but very little of the 
grandeur it did 400 years ago, when its battlements tow- 
ered above the forest of oaks — where plumed and blazoned 
squadrons met in joust and tournament in meteroic splen- 
dor. Hunting bands of lords and ladies swept the park. 
Brilliant as was this spectacle, no healthy mind can contem- 
plate it but with indignation. To support this luxury of a 
few thousand nobles, 30,000,000 of people were in the ex- 
tremes of ignorance, poverty, and misery. 

^'With the increase of centuries arose intelligence and a 
middle class between the peasants and nobility. Outrages 



3i6 The Laborer; 

became intolerable — human nature could endure n8 more. 
This middle class became leaders of the masses, and hurled 
them upon their foes. The conspiracy spread over the king- 
dom. It was a servile insurrection. The debased popula- 
tion, but little elevated above the brutes, were as merciless 
as the hyena or wolf. Frenzied with rage and despair, in 
howling bands they burst upon the castles, and the wrongs 
of centuries were avenged. Violence, torture, flame, and 
blood exhausted their energies. Mothers and maidens en- 
dured in terror all that mortals can endure, brutal indigni- 
ties, shame, and woe. In war, even the refined and cour- 
teous often became diabolical. Those who have been de- 
graded by ages of ignorance and oppression, when they 
break their fetters, become incarnate fiends. 

'^ The nobles despised the peasants. They did not dream 
that the starving, cringing boors would dare even to think 
of emerging from their poor mud hovels, and approach the 
lordly castles. The insurrection of Jacques Bonhomme as 
it was called, was after much devastation subdued. Bar- 
baric frenzy can seldom hold out against disciplined valor. 
Half of the people of France fell a prey to the sword, pes- 
tilence, and famine that ensued. 

'^ This was the first convulsive movement made by the 
people. Defeated though they were, their fetters riveted 
anew, they obtained new ideas of power and right they did 
not forget. Already we begin to hear many of the phrases 
which, 400 years later, were upon all lips, when the feudal 
aristocracy were buried in the grave. 

^^The history of the kingdom during these dreary ages, 
is but the record of the intrigues of ecclesiastics, the con- 
flicts between monarchs and nobles, and the sweep of mad- 
dened armies. The people continued to be deprived of all 
social and political rights. They were debarred, by ignor- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 317 

ance and depressed by intolerable burdens. The persecu- 
tions of the Protestants had much to do with the revolutions 
of Louis XIV. In 1662, a decree was issued that no Prot- 
estant mechanic should have apprentices, and they should 
be buried after sunset. Teachers were to instruct in the 
first rudiments only. Not more than twelve were to be al- 
lowed together for worship. In four years twenty edicts 
were issued against the Protestants — none could be doctors, 
lawyers, apothecaries, printers, or grocers. Children were 
often taken from their parents to be trained in the Catho- 
lic faith. The king could insult the mora] sense of the na- 
tion by traveling with the guilty Madam Montespan. The 
profligacy of the ecclesiastics, and the debauchery of the 
court and nobles, was never more universal than this reign. 
This was the golden age of kings. Feudality had died and 
democracy was not yet born. The monarch was absolute. 
The nobles, deprived of all political power, existed as an ap- 
pendage and embellishment to the throne. 

^'In 168 T, Louis XIV commenced his system of dra- 
gooning the Protestants into the Catholic faith. Scenes 
ensued too awful to be narrated. The brutal soldiery, free 
from all restraints, committed every conceivable excess. 
They scourged little children in the presence of their par- 
ents, to induce the parents to give up their faith. They 
violated the modesty of women. They tortured and mu- 
tilated their victims, till they yielded in agony. The Prot- 
estants fled in all directions, and made desperate efl-orts to 
escape from the kingdom. Many died with famine by the 
wavside and on the sea-shore. Large tracts of country be- 
came nearly depopulated. Madam de Mainttenon sent her 
brother a large sum of money, saying : ^ I beseech you to 
employ usefully the money you have. The lands in Poictou 

are sold for nothing. The distress of the Protestants will 

28 



31 8 The Laborer; 

bring more into the market. You can easily establish your- 
self splendidly in Poictou/ 

'' There were about 3,000,000 of Protestants in France 
when dragoons were sent in every direction, by the court 
to compel a return to Catholicism. One of the tortures 
was by pricking, pulling, burning, and suffocating to deprive 
the victim of sleep, till he promised any thing to escape his 
tormentors. It was boasted that in Bordeaux 140,000 were 
converted in two weeks. The Duke of Noailes wrote to 
the court, saying : ^In his district there had been 240,000 
Protestants, and at the end of the month he thought there 
would be none left.' 

"In 1598, Henry IV, in his edict of Nantes, granted to 
Protestants freedom of conscience. Louis XIV revoked it 
in 1685. In his preamble he states: ^That the better and 
greater part of our subjects of the pretended reformed relig- 
ion, have embraced the Catholic Church. The maintain- 
ance of the edict of Nantes remains superfluous.' It was de- 
creed that no more exercise of the reformed religion will be 
tolerated. All Protestant ministers were to leave in fifteen 
days, and forbidden to exercise their office, under the pain 
of imprisonment. Protestants were punished for emigrat- 
ing to other countries. 

^^ Numbers escaped after the revocation. France lost 
100,000 inhabitants, and her most flourishing manufac- 
tories. The Duke of St. Simon records that ^A fourth of 
the kingdom was perceptibly depopulated.' This crime 
against religion filled the land with infidelity, and caused re- 
monstrances from Catholic noblemen. Montesquieu, Vol- 
taire, Rousseau, and Mirabeau, not distinguishing between 
Christianity and the Papal Church have uttered cries of in- 
dignation, which thrilled upon the ears of Europe, and un- 
dermined the foundations of Christianity itself. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 



319 



"M. De Sismond estimates that 500,000 persons found a 
refuge in foreign lands, and as many perished in the attempt 
to escape. 100,000 perished in the province of Languedoc, 
and of these 10,000 were destroyed by fire, the gallows, and 
the wheels 

*"' The reign of Louis XIV was that of an oriental mon- 
arch. His authority was unUmited and unquestioned. The 
people had two very powerful enemies — kings and nobles. 
The people looked to the king to protect them against the 
nobles as sheep look to dogs to protect them from wolves. 
The king had now obtained a perfect triumph over his proud 
nobles, and had gathered all the political power into his own 
hands. He accomplished this by bribery and force. 

"The acquiescence of the nobles in his supremacy was 
purchased by his conferring on them all the offices of honor 
and emolument, by exemption from all taxation, and by sup- 
porting them in luxury, indolence, and vice from the toil of 
the starving masses. There were now in the nation two 
classes, with an impassable gulf between them. On the 
one side, were 80,000 aristocratic families living in idleness 
and luxury; on the other, 24,000,000 of people, who, as a 
mass, were kept in the lowest poverty, who maintained by 
their toil the haughty nobles, from whom they received 
nothing but outrage and contempt. 

"Nothing was done to promote the welfare of the people, 

*In 1747, the French Parliament gave instructions how this was to be done. 
The executioner, when the body is stripped and stretched, with a heavy bar of 
iron, four feet long, will strike on the joints, then crush the shoulders with 
two blows on each. The executioner will commence on the feet, and strike 
up to the shoulder, thus breaking the feet, legs, hips, and arms. Three heavy- 
blows are to be struck on the breast. A poor servant girl, for stealing two 
dresses, suffered this. Her agony lasted eleven minutes. A stream of blood is- 
sued from her mouth, drowning her cries, after her knee-joint was broken. 
The stealings of the ruling class cause the toiling ones to steal. The Ger- 
man mode of executing was to let fall a lifted wheel on the body till broken. 



320 The Laborer; 

who were kept in the greatest ignorance. Abject misery was 
depopulating the provinces, when the gorgeous palaces of 
France exhibited scenes of voluptuousness which the wealth 
of the Orient had never paralleled. 

"Louis XIV expended $200,000,000 on the palace of 
Versailles. The roofs of that vast pile would cover twenty 
acres. 30,000 laborers were frequently employed in embel- 
lishing the magnificent park, sixty miles in circumference. 
Marly, with its parks, fountains, and gardens, had also been 
constructed with equal extravagance. Both of these palaces 
exhibited scenes of profligacy, gilded by the highest fascina- 
tions of external refinement and elegance. Louis XIV left 
to the nation a debt of $815,000,000. For several years 
the expenditures had exceeded the income by $30,000,000 
per year. 

"Under Louis XV was that infamous Jesuit, Lavery de 
Tressan, Bishop of Nantes, who revived from their slum- 
bers the most severe ordinances of Louis XIV. The royal 
edicts were issued sentencing to the galleys for life any man 
who attended auy other church than the Catholic. Prot- 
estant preachers were doomed to death ; and any person 
who should neglect to denounce them, was consigned to the 
galleys.* All children were to be baptized within twenty 
hours of their birth. These horrible outrages upon human 
beings were received with transport by the clergy. When 
we contemplate the seed which the king and court planted, 
we can not wonder at the revolutionary harvest that was 
reaped in France. 

"The Catholic Church was loathsome to the devout 
Christians. They preferred the philosophy of Montesquieu, 
the atheism of Diderot, the unbelief of Voltaire, the senti- 

* Boats in the Mediterranean, propelled by triangular sails and oars. The 
condemned had to row these boats. They were chained often to the oar. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 321 

mentalism of Rousseau, to this merciless and bloody demon 
assuming the name of the CathoHc Church, and swaying a 
scepter of despotism, which was deluging France in blood, 
in crime, and in woe. The sword of persecution was again 
drawn from its scabbard and bathed in blood. 

^'Many Protestant ministers were beheaded and broken 
on the wheel. Religious assemblies were surrounded by 
dragoons, and fired upon with the ferocity of savages, kill- 
ing and maiming men, women, and children. Enormous 
sums of money were extorted by the lash, torture, dungeon, 
and confiscation. Fanaticism so cruel was revolting to the 
intelligence of the age. It is, however, worthy of note that 
few of the philosophers of the day ventured to plead for re- 
ligious tolerance. They generally hated Christianity in all 
its forms, and were not disposed to shield one sect from the 
persecution of another. Voltaire was, however, an excep- 
tion. 'For challenging a nobleman who had insulted him he 
' was thrown into the Bastile. Soon after this his Lettres 
Philosophique were condemned by the Parliament to be burnt, 
and an order was issued for his arrest. The friendship of 
Frederick the Great had some influence in saving him from 
the punishment that his fearless opinions provoked. 

'•^For many years he was compelled to live in conceal- 
ment. He learned to sympathize with the persecuted. In his 
masterly treatise on toleration, and his noble appeals for the 
family of the murdered Protestant, Jean Calas, he spoke 
in clarion tones, which thrilled upon the ears of France. 
Franklin called on Voltaire with his grandson. H e said : 
*My son, fall down on your knees before this great man.' 
The aged poet gave the boy his blessing, with these words, 
* God and freedom.' 

^'Louis XV ruled fifty-nine years. In boyhood his tutor 
taught him all the people belonged to him. At fourteeo* he 



322 The Laborer; 

married Maria, the daughter of Stanislaus, the king of Po- 
Jand. The king, at one of his private suppers, noticed a lady. 
Madam de Mailby, whose vivacity attracted him. Simply 
to torture his queen, he took her into the apartment, from 
which he excluded his lowly wife. Maria could only look 
to God for comfort. Madam de Mailby's sister supplanted 
her, and took her degrading place. She was taken away by 
death, and her sister. Madam Tournelle, became the king's 
favorite. Wherever she went, a suite of court ladies fol- 
lowed in her train. All were compelled to pay homage to 
the reigning favorite. All power was in her hands. She was 
the dispenser of rewards and punishments. Another sister, 
MademoiselleValois, and the Princess of Conti, became mis- 
tresses also to the king. Said a lady at this period : ^ Un- 
less God interferes, it is physically impossible that the State 
should not fall to pieces.' 

"These died, and Madam Pompadour swayed the king's 
mind for twenty years. Her power became unlimited and 
invincible. Her heart was of iron, and she wielded all the 
terrors of court banishment, confiscation, exile, and the 
Bastile. It is said that a witticism of Frederick H of Prus- 
sia, at her expense, plunged the nation into a seven years' 
war. The most high born ladies in the land were her 
waiting women. Her steward was a knight of the order of 
St. Louis. A member of one of the noblest families walked 
by her side, with a cloak under his arm, to spread over her 
when she should alight from her sedan chair. 

"She summoned embassadors before her and addressed 
them in the style of royalty. She appointed bishops and 
generals, and filled all the most important offices in the State 
and Church, with those who would do her homage.. She 
dismissed ministers and created cardinals, declared war, and 
made peace. She said to the Abbe de Beris ; 'I have all 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 323 

the nobility at my feet, and my lap dog is weary with their 
fawnings.' When this woman found her charms waning, 
she ministered to the king's appetite, by the most infamous 
institution ever tolerated in a civilized land. Several ele- 
gant houses were built in an inclosure, called the Pare aux 
Cerfs^ near Versailles, and were used for the reception of 
beautiful female children, who awaited the pleasure of the 
king. Many years of the life of Louis XV was spent in 
the debauchery of girls of an unmarriageable age, and in un- 
dermining their principles of modesty and fidelity. Chil- 
dren were often taken by force. If the parents remonstrated 
they were sent to the Bastile. The cost of the Pare aux 
Cerfs was $25,000,000. It is an appalling fact, that for 
half a century France was governed by prostitutes. 

"De Toqueville said: ^ The revolution will ever remain 
in darkness to those who do not look beyond it. Only by 
the light of ages that preceded can it be judged.' This so- 
cial degradation was one of the strongest incentives to the 
revolution. Thought was the great emancipator. Men of 
genius were the Titans who hove up the mountains of prej- 
udice and oppression. They simplified political economy, 
and made it intelligible to the popular mind. Voltaire as- 
sailed, with the keenest sarcasm and the most piercing in- 
vectives, the corruption of the church. Montesquieu pop- 
ularized and spread before the national view the policy that 
might render a people prosperous and happy. A seductive 
eloquence, in favor of the humble class, was used by Rous- 
seau such us the world has never equaled. 

^^•The minister that invented a new tax was applauded as 
a man of genius. The offices of the magistrates were sold. 
Judges paid enormous sums for their places, and then sold 
their decisions. Titles were sold, making the purchaser one 
of the privileged classes. All the trades and professions were 



324 The Laborer; 

sold. The number of trades and oiBces sold amounted to 
300,000. An army of 200,000 tax-gatherers devoured 
every thing. To extort subsistence from a starving people, 
the most cruel expedients were adopted. Galleys, gibbets, 
dungeons, and racks were called into requisition. When 
the corn was all gone the cattle were taken. The ground 
became sterile for want of manure. Men, women, and chil- 
dren yoked themselves to the plow. The population died 
ofF, and beautiful France was becoming a place of graves. 

"No language can describe the dismay in the homes of 
the peasants when the tax-gatherer darkened their doors. 
The seed corn was taken, the cow driven off, and the pig 
taken from the pen. Mothers pleaded, with tears, that food 
might be left for their children. The sheriff, used to scenes 
of misery, had a heart of rock. He went surrounded by a 
band of bailiffs to protect him from violence. 

'^•The government seemed to desire to keep the people 
poor. These despotic kings would desolate their realms 
with taxation, and would excite wars that would exhaust 
energy and paralyze industry. The people thus impover- 
ished and kept in ignorance might bow submissively to the 
yoke. The wars which, in endless monotony, are inscribed 
upon the pages of history, were mostly waged by princes, 
so as to engross the attention of their subjects. When a des- 
pot sees that public attention is likely to be directed to any 
of his acts, he immediately embarks in some war to divert 
the nation. This is the invariable source of despotism. A 
few hundred thousand people are slaughtered, and millions 
of money squandered in a senseless war. When a peace is 
made, it brings no repose to the people, who must toil and 
starve to raise money to pay the expenses of the war. In 
general, such has been the history of Europe for a thousand 
years. Despots are willing that billows of blood should 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 325 

surge over the land, that the cries of the oppressed may be 
drowned. So excessive has been the burden of taxation, that 
it has been calculated if the produce of an acre amounted 
to sixteen dollars, the king took ten, the proprietor five, leav- 
ing the cultivator one. In 1785, Thomas Jefferson, from 
Paris, wrote to Mrs. Trist, saying: 'Of 20,000,000 sup- 
posed to be in France, 19,000,000 are more wretched, ac- 
cursed under every circumstances of human existence, than 
the most conspicuously wretched individual in the United 
States.' 

''Louis XVI was an amiable young man, of morals most 
singularly pure for that age. He spent his leisure at lock- 
making. It was upon the head of this benevolent, good king 
the vials of popular wrath were emptied, which had been 
treasured up for so many reigns. The nation was in debt, 
the interest could not be paid without borrowing or increas- 
ing the taxes. This the nation could not bear. The sugges- 
tion of Necker, to give the people a voice in the adminis- 
tration of affairs, and to tax high-born men, met with oppo- 
sition. 

'^ There were 80,000 nobles, inheriting the pride of feu- 
dal power, with thousands of dependents on their smiles. 
There were officers in the army, men of wealth who had 
purchased titles of nobility. There were 100,000 persons 
who had in various ways purchased immunity from the 
burdens of the State. These were hated by the people, 
and despised by the nobles. There were 200,000 priests, 
and 60,000 monks. There were the collectors of the rev- 
enue, and all the vast army of office-holders. The mass of 
the people were nearly slaves, unarmed, unorganized, and 
uneducated. They had been dispirited by ages of oppres- 
sion, and had no means of combining or uttering a voice 
that could be heard, 
29 



326 The Laborer; 

''The French revolution was accelerated by a want of 
bread, or a short harvest, which is often short where so few 
are the producers. The most vigorous efforts were adopted 
to supply Paris with food. Nearly 1,000,000 people were 
within its walls. Vast numbers had crowded into the city 
from the country, hoping to obtain food. No law could re- 
strain such multitudes of men, actually dying with hunger. 
As it was better to die with a bullet than with slow starva- 
tion, they would at all hazards break into the dwellings of 
the wealthy and into magazines. The sufferings of the peo- 
ple were so intense, that military bands had to convoy provis- 
ions through the famished districts. The peasants, who 
saw their children dying and gasping with hunger, would at- 
tack the convoys with the ferocity of wolves. M. Foulon, 
who was at one time the prime minister, said: 'If the peo- 
ple are hungry let them eat grass; it is good enough for 
them ; my horses eat it. Let the people be mowed down like 
grass.' After awhile the people said : 'You wanted us to 
eat hay, you shall eat some yourself.' They tied a truss of 
hay around his neck, and hung him on a lamp-post. 

"The morning of the fifth of October dawned stormy, 
damp, and cold. There were thousands in Paris who had 
eaten nothing that morning for thirty hours. The women 
of the humble classes were in an awful state of destitution 
and misery. The populace of Paris were actually starving. 
An energetic woman, half delirious with woe, seized a drum 
and strode through the streets beating it, occasionally shriek- 
ing 'BREAD! bread! hreadV She collected a number 
of women, which rapidlv increased to 8,000. Such a strange 
apparition the world never saw before. Like a swelling in- 
undation the living flood rolled through the streets, and soon 
a cry was heard, ' To Versailles.' A few of the most furi- 
ous had pistols and guns.. Gloomy winter had now com- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 327 

menced, and there was no money, no bread. The aristo- 
cratic party all over the realm sent across the frontiers all 
the funds they could collect. They wished to make France 
as weak as possible, so that the people might be more easily 
subjected again to the feudal yoke by the armies of foreign 
despots. In Paris alone there were 200,000 beggars. It is 
one of the greatest marvels that such a mass of men, liter- 
ally starving, could have remained so quiet. The resources 
of the kingdom were exhausted during the winter in feeding 
the towns of France. 

'^ The wealth of the Church was enormous. It was valued 
at $800,000,000. The result of all this was a cruel war 
in France — a struggle between the nobles and the people. It 
induced the nations of Europe to send their armies to force 
France to assume their old form of government. The peo- 
ple looked on the nobles and privileged classes as their ene- 
mies, among them the king and queen. Thomas Jeffer- 
son resided in Paris, and he said of Louis XVI: ' He had a 
queen of absolute sway over his weak mind and timid virtue, 
a character the reverse of his on all points. This angel, as 
gaudily painted in the rhapsodies of Burke, with some smart- 
ness of fancy but no sound sense, was proud, disdainful of 
restraint, indignant at obstacles to her will, eager in pursuit 
of pleasure, and firm enough to hold to her desires or perish 
in their wreck. Her inordinate gamblings and dissipation, 
with those of the clique^ Count de Artoise, and others, had 
been a sensible item in the exhaustion of the treasury, which 
called into action the reforming hand of the nation. Her op- 
position to it, her inflexible perverseness and dauntless spirit, 
led her to the guillotine, and drew the king on with her, 
and plunged the world into crimes and calamities which will 
forever stain the pages of history. I have ever believed, had 
there been no queen there would have been no revolution. 



328 The Laborer; 

The king would have gone hand in hand with the wisdom 
of his sound counselors, who, guided by the increased light 
of the age, wished only to advance the principles of their 
social constitution. The deed which closed the mortal ca- 
reer of these sovereigns I shall neither approve nor con- 
demn.' 

^^Proudhomme asserts the number of the victims who 
were sent to the guillotine as 18,603. These, added to those 
who perished by civil war, make 1,022,351. The Jacobin 
leaders,* trembling before Europe in arms, felt that there 
was no safety but in annihilation of all its internal enemies. 
Danton, Murat, and Robespierre were not men who loved 
cruelty — they were rqsolute fanatics, who believed it to be 
well to cut ofi the heads of many thousands of aristocrats, 
that a nation of 30,000,000 might enjoy popular liberty. 
While the revolutionary tribunal was thus mercilessly ply- 
ing the ax of the executioner, the National Convention, 
where the Jacobins ruled supremely, was enacting many 
laws that breathed the spirit of humanity and liberty. The 
taxes were equally distributed in proportion to the property. 
Provision was made for the instruction of youth, and the 
emancipation of slaves abroad. 

''In the reign of Louis XV, Lettres de Cachet were issued. 
Whoever were the possessors of these could get whom they 
pleased into prison. All those who had influence at court 
could obtain them. The king could not refuse a mistress 
or a courtier. They were distributed as freely as postage 
stamps. None felt any degree of security from those who 
could get hold of them from being sent to the Bastile, 
which was a massive, cold, damp prison. Many of its cells 
were built in the shape of a bottle, into which the prisoner 

^ A society of revolutionists, who held secret meetings in the monastery 
of the Jacobine monks, to direct the proceedings of the National Convention. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 329 

was let down, and his food thrown to him. This gloomy 
prison was destroyed in July, 1790. 

" On the 20th of June, 1791, the king and his family left 
Paris for a foreign country, and were brought back, which 
was taken as evidence that they intended to join the enemies 
of France. They were incarcerated in the Temple as pris- 
oners. The king was vacillating at times, making strong 
promises to the people, putting on their badges, and then en- 
during for it reproaches from his wife. In prison he was 
separated from his wife and children. In July, 1793, ^P" 
pears this decree: ^-The Committee of Public Safety de- 
crees that the son of Capet shall he separated from his mother^ 
and committed to the charge of a tutor.' This beautiful boy 
endured untold miseries, hunger, and every indignity that 
could be put on him. Worn out by sickness and cruelty, in 
May, 1795^ he died, aged ten years and two months. On 
the morning of the 21st of December, 1792, Louis XVI was 
executed. A few months afterward his queen suffered the 
same fate." * 

Foreign nations interfered, which resulted in the rise of 
Napoleon to save France. None can read the story of this 
family without being affected. The lesson this revolution 
teaches us is that we can not multiply philosophers and the 
machinery of government without injuring the people. To 
human forbearance there is a limit. Men will not quietly 
die with hunger when others have more than they can 
consume. The Due d' Orleans went to a meeting of the 
king's cabinet with a loaf of bread made of fern leaves. 
He said to the king: ^•' Sire, see the kind of bread your 
subjects eat." 

The Americans should be thankful that they can right 
their wrongs without resorting to killing men by machin- 

* Harper & Brothers are the publishers of Abbott's " French Revolution." 



330 The Laborer; 

ery. They have a vote given to them, which they can use 
to clear away all their wrongs. The first wrong done to the 
American people was to let men have land who did not in- 
tend to cultivate it with their own hands. The motive was 
to get others to work for them. The quantity of land that 
Sturgis purchased of the Kansas Indians will make a State 
equal in area to Massachusetts. This man may not be 
permitted to keep this land. He bases his claim upon this: 
Indians can sell their own lands to whom they please. In- 
dians, in the State of New York, living near Buffalo, have 
sold their claims to speculators. 

'^ The grant of land to the .Northern Pacific Railroad is 
47,000,000 of acres. . To the Central Pacific 35,000,000 
of acres. To the Atlantic and Pacific 17,000,000 of acres. 
The aggregate number of acres granted by Government, for 
railroad purposes, is 154,201,584 acres, equal in extent, if 
placed in one body, to the area of the States of New York, 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and New England.*'' 

''There are plenty of honest men in the community 
who will never believe in the possibility of our law-makers 
lending their sanction to a profligate expenditure of the peo- 
ple's money. To such we commend a paragraph from the 
The Stockholder \ 'Some able gentlemen have this matter 
[The Northern Pacific Railroad] in hand, and mean to get 
a subsidy^ from the Government, which will make their 
scheme a rich mine,' etc. The National Government was 
never organized for taxing the people for private companies. 
As its charter of privileges now stands, at no distant day it 
will be worth $100,000,000, through the settlement of lands 
along its route. This modest corporation wants help of the 
United States to the amount of $60,000,000. This is cer- 
tainly the most brilliant piece of railroad financiering re- 

* Chicago Tribune. •[■ Subsidy, aid in money from governments — a tax. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 331 

cently heard of. If the United States is really going into 
the railroad business to this extent, it had better go in all 
over, lay out, build, equip, run the railways, and pocket the 
receipts, which is something to the purpose. We do not like 
this one-sided business of giving away every-thing and get- 
ting nothing. It is all outgo and no income for Samuel."^ 

God's earth has too long been made the sport of specula- 
tors. It was given to the people — to those who would oc- 
cupy and use it. Carlyle says: "The earth belongs to 
those two — to God, and to those* of his children who have 
worked well, or who will work well upon it." John Locke 
says: "The earth was given for the use of the industrious, 
and labor was to be his title to it." J. S. Mill says : " Labor 
is necessary to clear, to drain, and cultivate the land and 
upon this rests the sole foundation of the title to property on 
the earth." 

These are but the echoes of common sense ; and yet the 
rulers of the country are squandering the land, upon those 
who do not, and will not, work upon it ; to those who are 
mere speculators out of the sweat of multitudes who toil on 
the farms, and in the w^ork-shops of the country ! This 
is the source of nearly all overgrown fortunes. It is the 
chief cause of such a concentration of capital as enables a 
few to monopohze breadstufFs, and thus make another ter- 
rible assessment upon the working classes. It enables oth- 
ers to bribe Congressmen and State Legislators to give them 
abundant plunderings. 

Quetalbet says: " Society ^r^^<^r^j the crimes the crimi- 
nals commit." Land monopoly, fostered by Legislatures, 
causes crime. If all the idle lands in the States were to be 
sold it would reform society. What an enormous amount 
of crime the Pacific Railroad will cause ! The tea and other 

* Editorial from the Commercial of May, 1868. 



332 The Laborer; 

products it will bring we can do without. Mrs. Grant says: 
^'Before the Revolution every family had a cow." Tea was 
not known then. Milk and bread was one item of food. A 
crime was not known. Says the Commissioner of Statistics : 
"'In 1 86i, among 4,000 people there was one who committed 
a crime against property. In 1867, there was one property 
crime occurred among 2,360 people.'' — Ohio Report. 

Banks favor a few in this manner : Twenty men each pos- 
sessing a house worth §1,000, as one man pledge them 
to the Comptroller, who gives them 20,000 beautiful pieces 
of paper, which are called dollar bills, for which unthinking 
laborers will clothe and feed a part of their number, while 
they are building another twenty houses. These are given 
to the authorities for another $20,000, under the pretense 
that society needs more capital. The pledger receives rents 
for these houses while in pledge. In this wicked manner, 
by pledging what is most valuable, a few fill the land with 
railroads, the profits of which keep men from work. The 
good Franklin could print $4,000,000. His rulers loaned it 
for $22,000, which defrayed the expenses of his colony. 
The result was — no poverty, no crime, no homeless men. 

'^Seeing to lend money at interest^ that is to say, for gain^ 
that is to say, to receive money for the use of money ; seeing 
that to do this was contrary, and is still contrary, to the 
principles of the Catholic Church ; and among Christians^ 
or professors of Christianity^ such a thing was never heard 
of before what is impudently called the Reformation. 

*'*' The ancient philosophers, the Fathers of the Church, 
both Testaments, the Canons of the Church, the decisions 
of the Popes and Councils, all agree, all declare^ that to take 
money for the use of money is sinful. Indeed, no such 
thing was ever attempted to be justified until the savage 
Henry VIII had cast oiF the supremacy of the Pope. Jews 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 333 

did it, but then Jews had no civil rights. They were re- 
garded as moral monsters." ^ 

There is one truth very certain, that labor keeps us from 
perishing ; and if any one will not work, he does an injustice 
to him that will work. He that wmII not work, is no better 
than a robber. Nor is it just to choose easy work, and let 
another do the hard work. The generous, noble man will 
resolve to do a part of the hard work. Whatever plans 
make fortunes, are wicked and unscriptural. The means 
whereby men become rich, are the corruptions of ages; and 
when the American poor have drunk deeper from the cup 
of suffering, they will overthrow the causes that make men 
idle and rich. Our Savior condemned riches, and told his 
disciples not to refuse to lend, and they were to take no re- 
ward for it. The opinions of the ^'Fathers" show that in- 
terest is sinful and unjust. 

St. Basil says: "It is the highest cruelty to charge the 
man who comes to borrow to preserve a wretched exist- 
ence, or to seek riches from his pinching poverty." 

St. Clement says : " It is wrong to charge usury [money 
for the use of money] for the money which should be ex- 
tended with open hearts and hands to the needy." 

St. Chrysostom says : "Nothing surpasses in barbarity the 
modern practice of usury ; certainly the usurers f traffic on 
other people's misfortunes, and seek gain through their ad- 
versity. They dig for the distressed a pit of misery.'^ 

St. Augustine says: "I would not have you become us- 
urers y it is repugnant to the law of God. Is he more cruel 
who steals or purloins from a rich man, than he who grinds 
a poor man with usury and becomes reprehensible ? " 

Leo I says : " It is true, his substance swells from unjust 

■5^ William Cobbett's "History of the Reformation." 

•j- Usury, the practice of taking interest. — Lord Bacon. In this sense not used. 



334 The Laborer; 

and fearful additions; whilst the substance of the soul de- 
cays. Usury of money is a rope to strangle the soul.''* 

St. Hilary says: *•' What is more cruel than, under pre- 
tense of relieving, to augment the borrower's distress; in- 
stead of aiding him, to add to his wretchedness?" 

St. Gregory says: "Hold in abhorrence usury dealings; 
love your neighbor, not your money; bid farewell to sur- 
plus wealth and usury. Excite love for the poor." 

St. Ambrose says: '^ Rich men, poverty is a fertile field 
for your plentiful crops ; he who has not the necessaries of 
life must pay you usury. This is the height of cruelty." 

St. Jei'ome says: "Some persons imagine usury is sinful 
only when received in money. The sacred writer has pro- 
scribed increase^ so that you can not receive more than you 
gave. Usury is prohibited among mankind in general." 

St. Aquinas says: "To receive usury for money lent, 
is radically unjust — an inequality opposed to justice." 

Aristotle says: '*It is allowable for men to acquire gain 
by fruits and animals. The practice of reaping money from 
money is repugnant to nature ; its gains are base." 

Plutarch says : " By giving usury and entering into con- 
tracts, we manufacture the yoke of our slavery." 

Blackstone says: " In the dark ages of monkish supersti- 
tion, to wit, during the prevalence of the Catholic religion, 
interest was laid under a total interdict." 

Kent, in his "Commentaries" says : "Till the twelfth cen- 
tury the Jews were the only money-lenders. Catholics did 
not like to engage in the business of renting money." 

The rules of the Catholic Church, as given by its Coun- 
cils from time to time, forbids, in the strongest language, the 
loaning of money on interest. The Bulls [letters] of many 
pontiffs, the decrees of many emperors, forbid interest. 

■^Increase, a Bible term meaning corn, wine, oil — the produce of the earth 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 335 

Time, the great changer of events, was destined to make 
these precepts of no effect. Cathohcs saw the Jews and 
Lombards [Italian merchants of the fourteenth century] ob- 
taining riches, and it was a natural .thought to divert these 
riches into other channels. In 1515, Pope Leo X invited 
sums of money to be contributed to be lent to the poor, or 
to be loaned so as to keep men from becoming poor. In- 
dulgences were granted to those who contributed to these 
charitable funds, which were called Monies Pietatis — Mount- 
ains of Piety." ^ 

It appears singular to us, at present, that it should have 
been once considered unlawful to receive interest for lent 
money ; but this circumstance will excite no wonder when 
the reason of it is fully explained. Those who borrowed 
money required it only for immediate use, to relieve their ne- 
cessities, or to procure the conveniences of life; and those 
who advanced it to such indigent persons did so either 
through benevolence or friendship. 

Acquiring money by money was long detested, and this 
feeling was strengthened by severe papal laws. The people 
often contrive means to render the faults of legislators less 
hurtful. This was devised. A capital was collected, to be 
lent to the poor on pledges without interest. This idea 
was suggested by the Emperor Augustus,who sold the prop- 
erty of criminals, and lent the money, without interest, on 
pledges. Severus lent money to purchase land without in- 
terest, and took his pay in produce. 

The Pope changed burdensome vows into donations to 
''' lending-houses." The rich gave money so as to legitimate 
children not born in wedlock. Indulgences and holy-water 
created a capital. The Pope called these holy mountains of 

*" Usury and Banking," by Jeremiah O'Calligan, Catholic Priest, New York. 
1856. A valuable book of 550 pages, full of good teaching from the Fathers. 



336 The Laborer; 

piety legal. In 1456, Bernardinus went around preaching 
against the Jews, gaming, intemperance, extravagance in 
dress. He founded lending houses, and collected money for 
them to keep people from becoming poor. A gratuity was 
solicited for the lending servants, which afterward became 
a regular assessment, to pay expenses. 

These bancos de pover'i have become mountains of misery. 
Half of those who use them lose their pledges. They lead 
men into employments that make them poor, and keep them 
from v^orking in the earth. Banks are contrivances to get 
toiling men to build public works for idle thinking men. 

The Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Co., pledge property 
paying interest while pledged, and get a million paper dollars, 
which cost but little, and rear a structure that will yield in 
ten or twenty years $200,000 as a yearly revenue, keeping 
a few in idleness. This would be a nice sum to teach chil- 
dren in school exercises. Those who built the bridge, fed 
and clothed the builders, or use the bridge, should own it, 
which may be done in this way: Let the State issue " bills of 
credit" to this community, who will pay the State interest, 
and devote the tolls to paying interest and principal. 

The argument used for a few owning roads and bridges 
is that communities can not make them pay. This applies to 
the past when population was thin. The future will be dif- 
ferent, when the people are numerous. The working peo- 
ple, through their representatives, have a right to offer to the 
owners of this bridge its cost in money, based on the prop- 
erty of the State, and say, '^-With this money buy farms, cul- 
tivate them, and be men. This is a sure business. Laborers 
are fast becoming their own merchants and employers." 



LMll!LjtJ!'.l--"----^^JlTTTi!iiiii.i. i .i.. 'iMi iiJMiiiir-^* ' *'^ *''o«iL»'^ 




U IB H II n IK '^ *^ " '-■ ■■ rw-r^ 



CHAPTER XV. 

STATESMEN AND POLITICAL ECONOMISTS. 

Sketches of Washington — Livingston — Morris — Hamilton — Sedgwick 
Ames — Wollcott — Burr — Adams — Jefferson — Opinions of Econo- 
mists — Potter — More — Smith — Malthus — Say — Ricardo — Paley. 

** My son, see with how little reason the world is governed." — Chesterfield. 




|RESIDENT WASHINGTON," says Mr. Jef^ 
ferson: "entertained serious effects from the self- 
created ^Democratic Societies' of that day, and he 
believed they would destroy the government if not discon- 
tinued. 

'^Chancellor Livingston, on reaching France, was coolly 
received. He showed that his republicanism w^as unaggres- 
sive. His personal tastes and habits were far removed from 
the Jacobin standard. Few of Bonaparte's courtiers, aspiring 
to the dignity of the ancient regime, approached the so- 
cial plane of the stately Patroon. Many of them were up- 
starts compared with him in personal and family pretensions. 
His wealth was reported to be ducal. His hereditary pos- 
sessions were greater than half a dozen French marquisates 
in the days of the Bourbons. He sat in the revolutionary 
and pre-revolutionary congresses. A score of his family 
of the existing generation, and more than twice that number 
of kinsmen, had borne high civic and military commissions. 
His whole life had been spent in the highest range of office. 

*' Morris was one of these gigantic breed of speculators, 

(nv) 



338 The Laborer; 

whom Jefferson could scarce help abhorring. He declared 
for a perpetual Senate, approved by the chief magistrate, and 
he must have great personal property. It must have aristo- 
cratic spirit ; it must love to lord it through pride. It was 
palace building, and buying vacant lands that consigned him 
to a prison, in which he died. 

^' Hamilton called Democracy a blind and deformed mon^ 
ster. His luxury and manners exceeded those of the proud- 
est English nobleman. He disliked the Constitution, and 
had but little share in forming it. His plan was to obliter- 
ate State sovereignties, the chief magistrate making the gov- 
ernors. The National Legislature was to control their laws. 
Their general concerns were to be subject to the National 
Courts. He called the Constitution a frail, worthless fabric, 
and said that all communities divide therriselves; the first 
are rich and well born, the other the mass of the people. It 
is quoted and believed, that the voice of the people is the 
voice of God. It is not true, in fact ; the people are turbu- 
lent and changeable ; they seldom judge or determine right. 
Give to the first a distinct share of the government: noth- 
ing but a permanent body can check the improvidence of 
democracy. Their turbulent disposition requires checks, or 
ends in despotism, and is destructive to public morality. 

''Fisher Ames believed that Democracy is nothing in it- 
self. It is a dismal passport to a more dismal hereafter. 

''Theodore Sedgwick said : We have placed at the head 
of government a semi-maniac [Jefferson], who, in his so- 
berest senses, is the greatest marplot in nature. What think 
you of a Democracy? Will it progress successfully till all 
its evils are felt? This state of things can not exist long. 
The enfeebling policy of Democracy will produce such in- 
tolerable evils as will necessarily destroy their cause. 

" Oliver WoUcott believed our government would never 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 



339 



be very permanent. He could not believe that a people, 
who had gone through the distresses of the Revolution, and 
arisen from extreme poverty, could so soon forget their suf- 
ferings, as to sport with the enjoyment of their greatest 
social happiness, and expose its continuance to the utmost 
hazard. 

^^^ Aaron Burr's plan was to divide the Union at the Alle- 
ghanies, and attack Mexico. He embarked 300 men in fif- 
teen boats. He was arrested, gave bail for $3,000, and fled 
to England, and was banished from there. His expedients 
to keep off hunger were akin to beggary. It was his ambi- 
tion to have the manners of a Chesterfield and the morals 
of a Rochester. 

'^ Mr. Jefferson said : ^ Certain causes had long since pro- 
duced an overcharge of the class of competitors for learned 
occupations and great distress among the supernumerary 
candidates, and the more so as their habits of life had dis- 
qualified them for re-entering among the laboring classes. 
The remedy he proposed was to make agriculture a scien- 
tific profession, and thus list the supernumeraries into an 
employment, where they would find occupation for the 
body and the mind. 

^''^The charitable schools, instead of storing the minds of 
pupils with a lore which the present state of society does 
not call for \ which, converted into schools of agriculture, 
might restore them to that branch qualified to enrich and 
honor themselves, and to increase the productions of nature, 
instead of consuming them, A gradual abolition of the useless 
offices^ so much accumulated in all governments, might also 
close the drain from the laborers of the fields^ and lessen the 
burdens imposed on them. By these, and the better means 
which will occur to others, the surcharge of the learned 
might in time be drawn to recruit the laboring class of cit- 



24-0 The Laborer; 

izens. The sum of industry increased, that of misery is di- 
minished. The strong desire of men to live by the labor of 
their heads rather than their hands — the allurements of large 
cities to those who have any turn for dissipation, threatens 
to make here, as in Europe, cities the sinks of voluntary 
misery ! He held in Httle esteem the education that makes 
men helpless in the common affairs of life. This he exem- 
plified by the example of a man who had been to Europe 
for an education. On a journey a saddle-strap broke, and 
he had to wait till some common man came along, and let 
out the strap at the other end.' 

''Thomas Jefferson invented the best form of a mold- 
board for a plow. He made furniture and shod horses. 
He was an architect, and designed his own house. He 
thrashed his wheat by machinery, at the rate of 150 bushels 
a day. He directed the labors of his slaves in farming, me- 
chanical pursuits, and cloth-weaving. At one time he had 
fifty visitors from all 'parts of the world. One of his slaves 
confessed that it took all the labor of the slaves to feed and 
wait on them. This was a cause of his poverty in after life. 
He did not believe in his grandsons attending medical col- 
leges or living in cities. 

'••John Adams was classed among the believers of mon- 
archy. The proposition that the people are the best keepers 
of their liberties is not true \ they are the worst conceivable. 
They are no keepers at all, and can neither judge, think, nor 
will as a political body. The majority would invade the mi- 
nority sooner than a monarchy." ^ 

Madison says: "Democracies have ever been the spec- 
tacles of turbulence and contention ; have ever been incom- 
patible with personal security or the rights of property, A 

*This is taken from H. S. Randall's "Life of Thomas Jefferson." Some 
sentences are omitted. The language is unchanged. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 341 

large body of men is more apt to sacrifice the rights of the 
minority, because it can be done with impunity. Establish 
it as a principle, that to give sanction to law it must be ap- 
proved by a majority at the ballot-box, and you take this se- 
curity and surrender these rights to the most capricious and 
cruel tyrants. I regret to see this growing spirit in Con- 
gress and throughout the country, to democratize our gov- 
ernment — ^to submit every question, whether pertaining to 
organic or municipal laws, to the vote of the people. God 
forbid that the demagogism of this day should prevail over 
the philanthropic and philosophic statesmanship -of our fa- 
thers. Property is the foundation of every social fabric, Xo 
protect, preserve, and perpetuate rights of property, society 
is formed and governments are framed." 

Wolves become ravenous by hunger. Lions will let you 
pass them when not hungry. If every man had a home, he 
would let the homes of others alone. When a part of 
mankind are selfish, they must have governments to help 
them. Washington had land sufiicient to maintain 25,000 
persons. Without governments he could not collect his 
rents. If this land belonged to the cultivators, there would 
be no need of governments. 

The writer was offered, in Indiana, for $300, forty acres of 
land. He went to see it and found a person who had pur- 
chased a tax title, and had built a cabin on it i2ftXi6ft. I 
told him the owner was not dead. The taxes had not been 
paid for twelve years. He wished me to see the owner of 
forty acres on one side, so that he could have a road from 
his place, which was surrounded by abrupt and impassable 
banks. There was one outlet, the owner of which asked 
$300 for the land. I found him living in a palace, with a 
tessellated marble floor. The ceiling was supported by Co- 
rinthian fluted columns, having capitals exquisitly carved. 
30 



342 The Laborer; 

The ceiling was a surface of deep panels and fine carv- 
ings. This land speculator had every luxury. The man 
who wanted this land would have to save for six years, as 
he was married. His cabin contained three bedsteads, and 
sheltered three children and their parents. The house con- 
tained no pictures, books, or papers. The mother had 
never seen any of the fine arts, nor heard piano music. She 
told me they went in their wagon nineteen miles, to Indian- 
apolis. When there she asked a householder if she could 
boil some coffee j this was refused. The two pieces of land 

cost $100. 

The laws the ^'Fathers" made have caused these social 
distinctions. The refinement of the one was at the expense 
of the other. Among the Fathers not one favored the toil- 
ing classes, except Thomas Jeff^erson. He compared the 
Treasury to a huge turtle laying eggs in the sand for foul 
birds to eat. In 1795, Hamilton tried to get an act passed 
so that not less than 4,000 acres should be sold to one 
person. For forty years not less than 640 acres were sold 
-at a time, at $2.50 per acre, which compelled many to pur- 
chase of others. John Adams said : '*• That governments 
were to protect the rich in their great possessions as well 
as the poor man in his. * * * All the officers of the Gov- 
ernment must he gentlemen^ friends and connections of the rich 
and well born,'' * Most of the inequalities of life are from 
governments and are inventions of the avaricious and rich, 
to strengthen themselves and get riches. These will make 
half slaves of the poor, and deprive them of their birthright, 
the public lands — three-fourths of which get into the pos- 
session of speculators. M. Turgot, when speaking of the 
first-formed State constitutions, said : '^They were imitations 
of the customs of England without any particular motives." 

* John Adam's "Defense of the Constitutions,** vol. i, page 373, 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 343 

What domestic economy is to a family,' so is political 
economy to a nation. Domestic economy takes the in- 
come of a family and proportions it to what it will purchase. 
For instance, a woman fed herself and four children on a 
dime a day. How it was done may be known by referring to 
chapter first. Political economy relates to a nation's labor, 
and considers how many may be taken from the laboring 
classes and made into soldiers and servants, so as not to 
have them die with hunger, or accumulate so much as to 
be able to revolt. 

Says Bishop Potter: '•^We are far from denouncing the 
luxuries of life. We do not condemn the possessor of a 
handkerchief worth $50, or a $1,000 shawl. We have a 
greater respect for him who provides handsomely for his 
family. The amount of enjoyment principally depends on 
the number of beings enabled to obtain a comfortable sub- 
sistence, with satisfactory security for its continuance." 

This writer wrote his book for the use of schools. It is 
strange it did not occur to him that those who create costly 
things are ill clad and often hungry. This man had three 
sons : one became an architect, one a general, another was 
a rector of a marble church, with $10,000 a year. 

A report of a Life Insurance Co. contained this : Rt. 
Rev. A. Potter was insured for $5,000. He paid $3,637. 
What a comment on one who wrote a treatise showing 
how '*• skill and industry can be rendered most useful!" 

Sir Thomas More was born in London, in 1480. He 
was the adviser of Henry VIII, whom he offended by tell- 
ing him privately about his marriage conduct. He was sen- 
tenced to lose his head, which was done so awkwardly that 
several blows were struck before it was cut off. 

In his book '^Utopia" is described a happy society. In 
this book is this language : '^ One day I was with the king, 



344 The Laborer; 

where there happened to be a lawyer, who took occasion to 
run out in high condemnation of the severity in the execu- 
tion of thieves, who were hanged so fast, that there were 
sometimes twenty on one gibbet. Said he: 'How'comes 
it to pass that since so few have escaped, and yet so many 
thieves are still robbing in all places.' 

"I took the boldness to speak freely before the cardinal, 
and said there was no room for wonder at the matter, since 
the way of punishing thieves was neither just in itself nor 
good for the public. As the severity was too great, so the 
remedy was not as effectual — simple theft not being so 
great a crime that it ought to cost a man his life. No 
punishment, however severe, was long able to restrain those 
who can find no other way of a livelihood. In this not only 
you in England, but in a greater part of the world, imitate 
some ill master, who are readier to chastise their scholars 
than to teach them. 

''There are dreadful punishments against thieves; but it 
were much better to make such good provisions, by which 
every man ought to be put to the necessity to live, and so be 
preserved from the fatal necessity of stealing, and dying 
for it." 

Said the cardinal: "There has care enough been taken 
for that. There is husbandry, by which they may make a 
shift to live." 

More replied: ''There are a great many nobles among 
you that are drones — that subsist on other men's labor — -on 
the labor of tenants — to raise their revenues, they pare them 
to the quick. They have about them a great number of 
idle fellows, who never learned any art by which they may 
gain their living ; and these, as soon as the lord dies, or they 
fall sick, are turned out of doors. Your lords are read- 
ier to feed idle people than to take care of the sick. The 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 345 

heir is not able to keep together so great a family as his pre- 
decessor did. Now, when the stomachs of those that are 
turned out doors grow sharp, they rob no less keenly. And 
what else can they do ? For, when- by wandering about, 
they have worn out their health, their clothes, and are tat- 
tered and look ghastly, men of quality will not entertain 
them, and poor men dare not do it; knowing that one who 
has been bred in idleness and pleasure, and who used to go 
about with his sword and buckler, despising all the neigh- 
bors with an insolent scorn, as far below him. He is not 
fit for the mattock or spade, nor will he serve a poor man 
for so small a hire and so low a diet as he can afford to 
give him." 

Said the cardinal: "In them consists the force of the ar- 
mies for which we have occasion. Their birth inspires 
them with a nobler sense of honor than is to be found 
among trades or plowmen.'* 

More replied : '* You may as well say that you must 
cherish thieves on account of wars, for you will never want 
the one as long as you have the other; and as robbers are 
sometimes gallant soldiers, so soldiers often prove brave rob- 
bers — so near an alliance are those two sorts of life. The 
maintaining of many useless and idle persons, will ever dis- 
turb you, which is ever to be considered in a time of peace. 
Restrain the engrossing of the rich, who are as bad as mon- 
opolies. Let agriculture be set up again, and the manufac- 
ture of wool be regulated, so that there may be found work 
for these idle people, whom want forces to be thieves^ or who, 
being vagabonds, will certainly be thieves at last. If you do 
not find a remedy for these evils, it is in vain to be boast- 
ing of your severity for punishing theft. 

'*" He is an unskillful physician who can find out no other 
way of heaUng without putting him into another disease. 



346 The Laborer; 

So he that can find no other way for correcting the errors 
of the people, but by taking from them the conveniences of 
life, shows that he knows not how to govern a free nation.'^ 

^'In Utopia every man has a right to every thing. They 
all know that if care is taken to keep the public stores full, 
no private man can want any thing — no man is poor, or in 
necessity. Though no man has any thing, yet they are all 
rich. What justice is in this, that a nobleman, a goldsmith, 
a banker, or any other man, that either does nothing at all 
or is employed in things that are of no use to the public, should 
live in splendor and luxury ? 

'^A carter, a smith, or a plowman that works harder even 
than the beasts, and is employed in useful labor, so that no 
commonwealth could hold out a year without them, can 
only earn a livelihood and lead a miserable life. The con- 
dition of the beasts is better than theirs. These men are 
depressed by anxieties, fruitless employments, and tormented 
by apparitions of want in their old age. That which they 
get by their daily toil does not maintain them at present, 
and is consumed as fast as it comes in. There is no over- 
plus left for old age, 

" Is not the government unjust, when it is prodigal of its 
favors to goldsmiths, gentlemen, or those who are idle, or 
live by flattery, contriving vain pleasures, and take no care 
of plowmen, colliers, or smiths, without which it could not 
subsist? After the public has had the advantages of their 
services, when they come to age, sickness, and want, their 
labor Is forgotten, then they are left to die in great misery. 
The richer sort are often endeavoring to bring the hire of 
laborers lower not only by their fraudulent practices, but by 
the laws they procure to make this effect. Though it is a 
thing unjust to give so small rewards to those who deserve 
so well of the public, yet they have given these hardships 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 347 

the name and color of justice. * * * * They inclose all 
into pastures, throw down houses, pluck down towns, and 
leave nothing standing but the church, to he made a sheep 
house. These good and holy men turn all dwelling-places 
and glebe lands into a wilderness and desolation." This 
last clause refers to driving out the Scotch people, so as to 
make fleeces an article of commerce, the source of their 
misery from that day to this. 

Plato, in the ^^ Fourth Book of his Republic," describes a 
perfect commonwealth, " where kings are philosophers, and 
philosophers kings; where the whole city might be in the 
happiest condition, and not any one tribe remarkably happy 
beyond the rest ; where the laws govern, and justice is es- 
tablished ; where the guardians of the law are such in re- 
ality^ and preserve the constitution, instead of destroying it, 
and promote the happiness of the whole city, and not their 
own particularly ; where there are no parties, of the rich and 
poor at war with each other," etc. 

John Milton has given us a *•' Ready and easy way to es- 
tablish a Free Commonwealth." His plan was to have an 
assembly of senators for life : '^ They must have the forces 
by sea and land, for the preservation of peace and liberty ; 
must raise and manage the revenues, with inspectors to see 
how it was employed, with power to make laws, and treat 
on commerce, war, and peace, etc." Mr. Hume, in his 
^'^Idea of a Perfect Commonwealth," would have elected 
representatives with executive powers and the prerogatives 
of kings. In 1663, John Locke made a government for 
Carolina, in which were to be barons^ caciques^ and landgraves. 
The first was to have 12,000, the second 24,000, the last 
80,000 acres of land. 

It was to be shown in Acadia that a few thousand Cath- 
olics could live for more than a century without magistrates 



348 The Laborer; 

or crimes ; and the Utopia of More was a possible and not 
a visionary scheme. 

Adam Smith's ^^Wealth of Nations" all should read. It 
contains this : '■^Among civilized nations, a great many peo- 
ple do not labor at all, many consume the produce of ten 
times, frequently a hundred times, more labor than the great- 
er part of those who work." 

Rev. Mr. Malthus, in his books "On Population," says: 
^'That if a man chooses to marry without a prospect of sup- 
port to his family, it is an act which society can not justly 
take up, prevent, or punish. To the punishment of nature 
therefore, he should be left. A man who is born into a 
world already possessed, if he can not get subsistence from 
his parents, and society do not want his labor, he has no 
claim or right to the smallest portion of food, and, in fact, 
has no business to be where he is. At nature's mighty 
feast there is no vacant cover for him. She tells him to be- 
gone, and she will quickly execute her orders." 

In his "Political Economy," he says: "Statesmen, sol- 
diers, sailors, and those who live ofF the national debt, con- 
tribute powerfully to demand and distribution. They insure 
that consummation which is necessary to give the proper 
stimulus to the exertion of industry, ^^ 

Jeremy Bentham read in a coffee-house this: ^'The only 
reasonable and proper object of government is to produce 
the greatest happiness to the greatest number." Said he : 
*^At the sight of it, I cried out in the greatest ecstasy." He 
was a lawyer, and became disgusted with law. He spent 
sixty years at law reforms, in putting an end to the system. 
His books and pamphlets number fifty. Law to him was 
the offspring of a barbarous age^ the patchwork of fifteen cen- 
turies, a huge, shapeless, and bewildering pile. To relieve 
the tedium of study, he turned wooden bowls, ran in his 




The rich, to keep the poor from perishing, feed them, so that they may have serv- 
ants. The rich, who give to the poor, give often that which they never earned. 
'*Thou shait not covet other men's goods" is a command which, if observed, would 
prevent riches. If society possess the banks, roads, railroads, and bridges, and the 
' merchant will tell his neighbor what is the cost of goods, and that association will 
distribute them at cost, then will scenes like this disappear. Inequalities will al- 
ways exist while the merchant exists} and in order to attain equality he must be 
destroyed. Tobacco and drinking habits destroys a tenth of the nation's labor, an 
amount sufficient to find furnished homes for all Americans who become of age. 

7 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 349 

garden for exercise, played on a jRddle. He heated his house 
by steam, slept in a sack, and thought the common law the 
perfection of absurdity. 

J. Stuart Mill, a political writer, gives us this piece of sat- 
ire : ^^ The lot of the poor, in all things, should be regulated 
for them, not by them. They should not be required to 
think for themselves. It is the duty of the higher class to 
think for them. This function the higher class should pre- 
pare to perform conscientiously, and their w^hole demeanor 
should impress the poor with reliance on them. The rela- 
tion between rich and poor should be only partially author- 
itative; it should be amiable, moral, sentimental ; affection- 
ate tutelage on the one side, respectful, grateful deference on 
the other. The poor should be called on for nothing, but to 
do their day's work. Their morality should be provided 
for them by their superiors. 

"The poor have come out of their leading strings, and 
can not be treated like children any more. I can not con- 
ceive how any person can persuade himself that the major- 
ity will much longer consent to hew wood and draw water 
all their lives in the service and for the benefit of others." 

Dr. Chalmers, writing on political science, says : " Be- 
cause of a fertility in the earth, by which it yields a surplus 
over and above the food of the direct and secondary laborers, 
that we command the services of a disposable population, 
who, in return for their maintenance, minister to the pro- 
prietors of this surplus all the higher comforts and conveni- 
ences of life, ''^ 

Dr. Paley, in his ''Pohtical Philosophy," taught — "That 
the condition -most favorable to population is that of a la- 
borious, frugal people, ministering to the demands of an op- 
ulent and luxurious nation; because this situation, whilst it 
leaves them every advantage of luxury, exempts them from 
31 




350 The Laborer; 

the evils that naturally accompany its admission into any 
country." 

Blackstone, in his ^' Commentaries," declares: "Among 
the many acts men are daily liable to commit, i6o are pun- 
ished by death." If any should be hung through mistake, 
Dr. Paley kindly advises their friends : "To reflect that he 
w^ho falls by a mistaken sentence may be considered as fall- 
ing for his country." 

Robert Owen believed that the drunkard and thief were 
victims of circumstances. In his "New Moral World," 
he maintained that money was an evil, a source of injustice, 
oppression, and misery to the human race — makes some the 
slavish producers of wealth, and others wasteful consumers. 
He believed that " men divided into employed and employ- 
ers, masters and servants, would cause ignorance and pov- 
erty to pervade the world." Owen prepared two memori- 
als for the Congress at Vienna, in 1815, in which were these 
words — "Wealth, privileges, and honors are the playthings 
of infants." This made some impression on it. 

MaryWollstonecraft,in her "Vindication of the rights of 
Women," says : "Such combustible material can not long 
be pent up. Getting vent in foreign wars and civil insur- 
rections, the people acquire some power in the tumult, that 
obliges their rulers to gloss over their oppressions with a 
show of right. Agriculture, commerce, and letters expand 
the mind. Despots are compelled to make covert corruption 
hold fast the power which was formerly snatched by open 
force. A baneful gangrene is formed, spread by luxury and 
superstition, the sure dregs of ambition. The indolent pup- 
pet of a court first becomes a luxurious monster or a fas- 
tidious sensualist and an instrument of tyranny. It is the 
pestiferous purple, which renders the progress of civilization 
a curse^ and warps the understanding, till men of sensibility 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 351 

doubt whether the expansion of intellect produces a greater 
portion of happiness or misery." 

Thomas Carlyle, a '^Writer of Books," said : '"An earth 
all around, crying, come and till me; — yet we sit here en- 
chanted! The sun shines and the earth calls; and, by the 
governing powers and impotences of England, we are for- 
bidden to obey. * * * The Continental people are export- 
ing our machinery, and beginning to spin cotton for them- 
selves. Sad news, but irremediable. The saddest news is 
that we should find our national existence depends on sell- 
ing cotton a farthing an ell cheaper than any other people. 
Cotton cloth is already twopence a yard or less ; and yet bare 
backs were never more numerous among us. Let invent- 
ive men cease to spend their existence incessantly contriv- 
ing how cotton cloth can be made cheaper, and try to in- 
vent how cotton cloth, at its present cheapness, could be 
divided a little more justlier among you." 

Thomas Paine hated injustice and oppression. He was 
secretary to Congress during the Revolution. He wrote 
then the ^'Crisis" and "Common Sense," to induce the 
Americans to revolt. In his '^Rights of Man" is found this : 
*'We see in countries that are called civilized, youth going 
to the gallows and age to the workhouse. * * * To make 
one rich, many must be made poor; neither can the system 
be supported by any other means." 

Rousseau, born in 1 7 1 1 , and dying in 1788, was hated by 
the authorities for his opinions. His '*'Emille," a treatise on 
education, could not be tolerated. He was banished for it. 
His "Social Contract" says: "Supply an administration 
with money, and they will supply you with chains. The 
very term of taxes is slavish. Foreign commerce is pro- 
ductive only of a delusive utility to the kingdom in general. 
It may enrich a few individuals, and perhaps some city. 



352 The Laborer; 

The whole nation gains nothing by it, nor are any of the 
people any better for it. It is required that no greater quan- 
tity of land be given than is necessary for the subsistence 
of the occupiers." 

Earl Stanhope, born in 1753, and dying in 18 16, invented 
a printing press and a calculating machine, and was the im- 
prover of canal locks and stereotyping. He was full -of 
enthusiasm for the improvement of the social institutions, 
and looked with complacency on the French Revolution as 
an attainment of that end. Lord Holland says of him : ''^ He 
was in some senses of the word the truest Jacobin I have 
ever known. He not only deemed the monarchy, clergy, and 
nobilitv, but property, or at least landed property by descent, 
as unlawful abuses. He sometimes gave me a glimpse of 
his designs in proposing measures apparently preposterous, 
by hinting their tendency to subvert the fundamental prin- 
ciples of society." 

His daughter. Lady Hester Stanhope, lived in Syria, and 
said: ^^Your Europe is so insipid! Leave me to my des- 
ert ! What should I do in Europe ? See nations worthy of 
their chains, and kings unworthy to reign ? Wait a little, 
and your old continent will be shaken to its base. Every 
thing is worn out in Europe. The kings do not make dy- 
nasties ; they fall by their own fault. An aristocracy, soon 
to be effaced from the world, is giving way to a mean and 
ephemeral' middle class, without productivity or vigor. The 
people, the hard-working people alone, still preserve a char- 
acter and some virtues. Tremble you^ if they become aware 
of their strength ! " 

Lord Byron despised his own class, and said : " One of the 
noblest sights of earth was to see a man go forth in the 
morning to toil for his family." In 1824, he went to fight 
for the Greeks, to deliver them from the Turks. He died 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 353 

in Missolonghi. This line denotes his humanity: "The 
drying up of a single tear had more of honest fame than 
shedding seas of gore." 

Montesquieu was born in 1689, and died in 1753. His 
principle works are ^^The Spirit of the Laws/' and "Persian 
Letters." These are some of his teachings: 

"Luxury is always in proportion to the inequality of 
fortunes. 

" Indolence and inaction is a consequence of being de- 
prived of our labors. 

"Nothing can reconcile those who have nothing to those 
who are in affluence. 

" Commerce was only the profession of mean persons^ 
that of knaves. It is only making those who do it dis- 
honest. — Aristotle, 

"So great is our luxury that people adorn with embroid- 
ery the shoes of boys and girls. The employing of so many 
persons in making clothes for one person is the way to pre- 
vent others from getting clothes. There are ten men who 
eat the fruits of the earth to one employed in the means of 
agriculture, and is the means of preventing others from get- 
ting nourishment." — Kiavanti 

Voltaire died in 1778, after writing seventy books. From 
a dialogue between a man worth forty crowns and another 
worth five thousand, is this language : 

"Whence comes this dearth of laborers ? 

"Because every person who has the least inclination to 
industry, becomes an embroiderer, watchmaker, silk weav- 
er, lawyer, divine, beggar, or a monk. Every one as much 
as possible has avoided the laborious employment of hus- 
bandman, for which we were created by God. 

"Our new wants are a cause of our poverty. What a 
cursed thing is this tax, which has reduced me to beg alms ! 



354 The Laborer; 

There are three or four hundred taxes, whose names it is 
impossible to remember. Was there ever a legislature, upon 
founding a State, that thought of creating the counselors of 
the king, coal measurers, gangers of casks, assizers of wood, 
overseers of salt, butter, etc. — of maintaining an army of 
scoundrels twice as large as that which Alexander com- 
manded by sixty generals, who laid the country under con- 
tribution ? Such a legislation takes away from me one-half 
of my property. Upon a nice calculation, it will be found 
that the establishment takes away three-fourths by detail." 

St. Simon was a French nobleman, and was at the siege 
of Yorktown. He was born in 1760, and died in 1825. 
He laid down this principle : "That society is composed of 
idlers and laborers, and that a policy should be aimed at for 
the moral, physical, and intellectual amelioration of the la- 
borers, and a gradual extinction of the idlers. The means of 
accomplishing this was the abolition of the privileges of 
birth, and the classification of laborers." 

Louis Blanc obtained an oiEce under the French Gov- 
ernment. At a party of the aristocracy he was introduced 
to a lady. She stood on her tiptoes, and looked over him, ex- 
claiming, "I can not see him." He was so offended that 
he threw up his office, and commenced to write on the 
"Organization of Labor." Louis Philippe has often been 
heard to say, that it acted like a battering ram to royalty. 

His plan was for the government " To erect social work- 
shops to employ the idle men, and to loan them money." 
Tailors were set to work on clothing for the Garde Mobile, 
The King of France had to run away in 1848. He was 
succeeded by Louis Blanc, whose plans led to idleness and 
extravagance, and he, too, had to leave. A civil war was 
producd in which two officers, and ten thousand soldiers 
were killed. Both rulers found refuge in England. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 355 

Lamartine says: "Political economy ought not to be, as 
formerly, the science of wealth. The democratic republic 
ought, and will give it another character. It will make it 
a science by the results of which not only will labor and 
its fruits be increased, but by which a more general, equi- 
table, and universal distribution will be accompHshed. An- 
cient science tended only to render individuals wealthy, but 
our new science will apply itself to make the entire people 
rich." 

Raymond, a writer on political economy, in 1823, says: 
^' How many people do we see in each community who, in- 
stead of supporting themselves by their own industry, con- 
trive to supply themselves with the necessaries and com- 
forts of life from the industry of others! Some do this by 
fraud and overreaching, by direct violence, by the exercise 
of their wits, by the permission of the law, or in violation 
of it. What a host there would be, if all the people of the 
United States, who live by the labor of others, were col- 
lected together! 

" The history of mankind, in all ages of the world, shows 
that some will never labor for subsistence if they can ob- 
tain it by plunder — that they will never labor for them- 
selves as long as they can compel others to do it for them." 

Robert Southey, the English poet, when a boy could say : 
"When I look at the mansions of the great, with all their 
splendor and magnificence ; when I look at the cottage of 
the husbandman, and see him dividing his scanty morsel 
among his infants, I blush and shudder at the patience of 
humanity." His uncle said to him: "Robert, if you write 
democratic eclogues you will be poor; choose the Church 
and State, and you will be rich." Poverty compelled him 
to do this. His plan was to settle on the Ohio. The per- 
son who was to advance the money died, which compelled 



356 The Laborer; 

him to be a pen drudge. His best poem is '\Joan of Arc." 
In it is described the ravages of war, and its desolating influ- 
ences on the country, its besieged cities, famines, ruined 
homes, and impoverished people. In one of his rural poems 
is described the plow-boy, his visit to the fair, and how the 
recruiting sergeant saw him and gave him punch. He por- 
trayed to him the glory of war — '' flags flying, drums beat- 
ing, cannons roaring, and the French retreating." The boy 
lists and ^^sets off for fame," then he is drilled, marched, 
and countermarched. After enduring hunger and misery, 
he returns home, and is robbed of his money. He com- 
mits a crime, and ends his days in a penal colony. The 
sufferings of England's toiling classes are told in mournful 
poems by Southey. 

^^It was Shelley's creed, that human nature is capable of 
being made perfect; that kings and priests have hindered 
that glorious consummation for the attainment of their own 
selfish purposes ; that religion is hostile to the develop- 
ment of feelings of charity and fraternity ; and that if the 
inherent goodness of the human heart was free to work out 
its mission, the Golden Age would be realized. There is no 
doubt Shelley believed his principles to be correct, and his 
views attainable. His untiring benevolence in visiting the 
cottages of the poor during his residence at Marlow, stamps 
with sincerity and disinterestedness his eloquent pleading 
for humanity. 

" ' Queen Mab,' the most generally known of Shelley's 
works, is a poem abounding in fine passages. He supposes 
the soul of a female character, called lanthe, to leave the 
body during sleep, and to ascend, under the guidance- of the 
fairy Mab, to the latter's cloud-roofed palace, from whence 
she contemplates the earth, and surveys the ruins of Jeru- 
salem, Palmyra, Athens, and Rome. Then she beholds a 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 357 

battle-field, a town destroyed in the conflict and the death- 
bed of a tyrant. The poet descants upon the horrors of 
war, the vices engendered by competitive commerce^ and all 
the social errors and evils of the present life. The spirit 
describes the auto-de-fe of an atheist. • Mab, after defending 
materialism, summons the wandering Jew, who relates the 
crimes, abuses, and consequent misery, which are alleged 
to have resulted from Christianity. Having thus passed in 
review the past and present, the fairy queen favors lanthe 
with a glimpse of the future, when all the moral and mate- 
rial beauty of the Golden Age, and all the prophetic antici- 
pations of the millennium are realized and fulfilled. The 
earth, in the language of St. Simon, is re-habilitated, and no 
longer produces rank weeds and poisonous fungi, but every- 
where flowers and fruits. Fens and marshes, which had 
exhaled malaria, are covered with waving grain ; the whirl- 
wind and the storm are known no more ; the burning des- 
erts of Arabia are rendered cultivatable ; the polar ice is dis- 
solved ; and the wild denizens of the forest have forgotten 
their thirst for blood — the lion sports with the kid. The na- 
ture of man has experienced a change corresponding with 
this beautiful picture of the external universe. War, slavery, 
commerce, and all the evils of the present society are no 
longer known ; his passions are tempered and harmonized ; 
temperance has banished disease from his frame, and pro- 
longed his life, and his existence has become a long mid- 
summer's day — a dream of Arcadia or Paradise realized. 

"^The revolt of Islam' is of a different cast. The poet 
arises from slumber visited by unquiet dreams, and meets on 
the sea-shore a beautiful female form, by whom the story 
is related. She is beloved by a spirit, who conducts her to 
the glorious senate of the departed friends of the human 
race, where she meets Laon, a patriot of Argolis, who re- 

23 



3S8 The Laborer ,- 

lates the story of the revolt of his countryman against the 
tyrant of Islam. This poem is far superior to Queen Mab, 
and is replete with passages of extreme beauty. The hymn 
in the fifth canto of the nations who have hberated them- 
selves by revolt, is a complete exposition of Shelley's views 
and opinions. It declares fear to be the cause of man's 
misery and degradation, proclaims the moral beauty of 
equality, and announces the advent of peace, love, freedom, 
and universal brotherhood. 

" 'Prometheus Unbound,' is as metaphysical and mystical 
as are most of Shelley's poems. The atheistic tenets of 
the poet are boldly proclaimed. The idea of the perfecti- 
bility of human nature is here reproduced. The overthrow 
of Jupiter, and the unbinding of Prometheus harbinger the 
restoration of the Golden Age. These three poems pre- 
sent us with a complete view of Shelley's social philosophy, 
and the whole tenor of his life." — Chambers's Works. 

Extract from Shelley's Queen Mab. 

« Those gilded flies, 



That, basking in the sunshine of a court, 
Fatten on its corruption! What are they? 
The drones of the community: they feed 
On the mechanic*s labor. The starved hind 
For them compels the stubborn glebe to yield 
Its unshared harvests 5 and yon squalid form. 
Leaner than fleshless misery, that wastes 
A sunless life in the unwholesome mine. 
Drags out in labor a protracted death. 
To glut their grandeur 5 many faint with toil. 
That few may know the cares and woe of sloth." 

Hugh Miller's "School and Schoolmasters " teaches us to 
escape poverty by working directly on the soil, which will 
give us plenty of food, fleeces, and candles. He says: "I 
found myself standing before a life of labor and restraint, 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 359 

The prospect appeared dreary in the extreme — the necessity 
of toiling from morning to night, and all for a little coarse 
food and homely raiment ; and I fain would have avoided 
it. ^ * * In less than a fortnight I succeeded in obtaining 
a very considerable mastery over the -mallet. I astonished 
Uncle David [his teacher in stone-cutting] by setting myself 
to compete with him, and by hewing nearly two feet of 
pavement to his one. * * ^ We found twenty-four work- 
men in a corn-kiln, open at the gable ends, and a row of 
beds on the sides. Over each bed hung a sack of oatmeal, 
which was their summer's food, without milk or meat. 

"The oatmeal was boiled in water, and made into cakes, 
which were baked before the fire. The uncle grumbled 
because the meal went so fast ; he laid it down as a law that 
only two cakes a week should be eaten. I mixed up a peck 
of meal. During the baking the uncle came in, and ex- 
claimed, ^What's this, laddie, are ye baking for a wadding?' 
^Just baking one of the two cakes, master,' was the answer. 
This raised a laugh, and cured uncle of two cakes a week. 
There was a diversity of opinion how much salt should be 
put in the porridge, and how long it should boil, A cook 
contrived, in the same pot, to make half of the porridge 
without salt, the other half very salt. When the two men 
sat down to eat, one exclaimed, ^ He has given me por- 
ridge without salt.' The other exclaimed, 'He has given me 
porridge as salt as brine,' 

"Candle-light indulgences could not be afforded. To 
pass fifteen hours in darkness was no easy task. Exploits 
were told. A stone-cutter, on his night journey home, fell 
into a grave. On getting out, he was pursued by some body- 
stealers, who wanted him for a ^ subject.' Another time 
he was attacked by robbers, from whom he escaped, and was 
lost in a mist. To keep warm he went among some sheep." 



360 The Laborer; 

Mr. Miller tells us he ''had all his fingers oozing blood 
at once; and labor was torture handling dirty stanes. My 
poor master suffered more than I did. The wall went up 
painfully with his chopped and bleeding hands, which made 
him fretful." 

Mr Miller became editor of a paper, and his best essays 
are made into a book of 500 pages, called "Literary and Po- 
litical Essays," in which he describes a farm laborer's cot- 
tage as no better than a shed — no window frames, the roof 
lets in the rain, which makes the floor quite soft, and keeps 
the beds damp. It does no good to keep fire, as this abode 
is so open. It is owned by the land-owner for a yearly ten- 
ant, and contains a father and mother, four daughters, and 
two sons. These have only one room. 

Mr. Miller worked on "hanging stone-steps with torus 
and mouldings formed on them," and also on stone columns. 
It seems not to have ever occurred to him, that were men 
to work less on stone-carving, and more on homes for those 
who support men by useful toil, human happiness would be 
promoted. He chose rather to flatter the vulgar rich. In 
his essays, he speaks well of Wellington, and gives us an 
amusing account of a Burns' festival in a shower of rain. 
He heaped ridicule on the Chartists, whose plans were well 
meant, and were trials to mitigate human misery. He seems 
to have no remedy for the social ills of life. 

This author writes beautifully on ^^Ptericthys^ Anadontas^ 
and XJn'ionidcs J^ This kind of knowledge would be well if no 
misery were to be found. If this writer had told the gentle- 
men to do something useful, as a means of lessening the bur- 
dens of the poor, he would have been of more utility to men. 



CHAPTER XVL 

SOCIAL AND MORAL INNOVATORS. 

The Opinions of Volney — Franklin — Fenelon — Carey — Fourier — Har- 
riet Martineau — Joseph Kay — Dr. Price — Jaques Turcot — Fortes- 
QUE — William Godwin — John Wesley — William Wickljffe. 

'* Let tyrants know there exists a place on the earth, where oppressed men 
may escape from their chains!" — Abbe Raynal's address to Americans. 




OUNT VOLNEY, in his '^Ruins of Empires,'' 
says : " I perceived in the extremity of the Medi- 
terranean, in one of the nations of Europe, a pro- 
digious movement, such as w^hen a violent sedition arises 
in a vast city — a numberless people rushing in all directions 
to the public places. My ear, struck with the cries that 
resounded to the heavens, distinguished these words : 'What 
is this new prodigy ? What cruel and mysterious scourge 
is this? We are a numerous people, and vi^e want hands ! 
We have an excellent soil, and we are in want of subsist- 
ence ! We are active and laborious, and we live in indi- 
gence ! We pay enormous tributes, and we are told they 
are not sufficient! We are at peace without, and our prop- 
erty and persons are not safe within ! What is the secret 
enemy that devours us?' 

••' Some voices, from the midst of the multitude, replied: 
^ Raise a discriminating standard, and let all those who main- 
tain and nourish mankind by useful labors gather around 
it, and you will discover the enemy that preys upon you.' 



362 The Laborer; 

'^ The standard being raised, the nation divided itself into 
two unequal bodies, of a contrasted appearance—one with 
sunburnt faces, the marks of misery and labor ; the other, 
a little group, an imperceptible fraction, in rich attire covered 
with gold and silver, and in sleek and ruddy faces, present- 
ing the signs of leisure and abundance. 

''Considering these men more attentively, I found that 
the great body was composed of farmers, artificers, mer- 
chants, and all the professions useful to society. The little 
group was made up of the ministers of worship of every or- 
der, financiers, nobles, men in livery, commanders of troops, 
and other hireling agents of governments. 

*^ These two bodies being assembled face to face, they 
regarded each other with astonishment. I saw indignation 
and rage arising on one side, and a sort of a panic on the 
other. The larger body said to the smaller one : 

'' ' Why are you separated from us ; are you not of our 
number?' 'No,' replied the smaller group, 'you are the 
people ; we are the privileged class, who have our laws, 
customs, and rights peculiar to ourselves.' 

^^ People. — 'And what labor do you perform in society ? ' 
^Privileged Class, — 'None; we were not made to work.' 
^People. — 'How, then, have you acquired these riches ? ' 

^^Privileged Class. — 'By taking pains to govern you.' 

''^People, — 'What ! we toil and you enjoy ! we produce and 
you dissipate ! Wealth proceeds from us, you absorb it ; 
you call this governing ! Privileged class, a distinct body 
not belonging to us ! Form your nation apart, and we shall 
see how you will subsist ! ^ 

" Then the smaller group deliberated on this state of 
things. Some just and generous men said: 'We must join 
the people, and bear a part of their burdens^ for they are like 
ourselves, and our riches come from them.' Others, arro- 






A Remedy for his Wrongs. 363 

gantly, exclaimed: 'It would be a shame, an infamy for us 
to mingle with the crowd; they are born to serve us. Are 
we not the noble and pure descendants of the conquerors of 
this empire ? This multitude must be reminded of our own 
rights and of their origin.' 

^^The Nobles. — 'People! know you not that our ances- 
tors conquered this land, and your race was only spared on 
condition of serving us? This is our social compact, the 
government is constituted by custom, and prescribed by 
time!' 

^^People. — •" O conquerors, pure of blood, show us your 
genealogies ! we shall then see if the robbery and plunder 
that is in an individual, can be virtuous in a nation.' 

'••And forthwith voices were heard in every quarter, call- 
ing out the nobles by their names; and they related their 
origin, parentage, how their great-grandfather, grandfather, 
or even father, were born traders and mechanics. After 
acquiring wealth in every way, they then purchased their 
nobility with money, so that very few families were of the 
original stock. Said these voices: 'See those purse-proud 
commoners, who deny their parents! See those plebeian re- 
cruits who look on themselves as illustrious veterans!' 

"To stifle them, audacious men cried out: 'Mild and 
faithful people acknowledge the legitimate authority, the 
king's will. The law ordains.' 

^^ People. — ' Privileged classes, explain the word legitimate! 
if it means conforming to the law, say who made the law ? 
Can the law ordain any thing else than our preservation?' 

"Then the military governor said : 'The multitude will 
only submit to force. We must chastise them. Soldiers, 
strike this rebellious people!' 

^^ People. — 'Soldiers! you are of our blood, will you strike 
your brothers, your relations? If the people perish, who 



364 The Laborer; 

will nourish the army?' And the soldiers grounded their 

arms, and said : ^We are hkewise the people, show us the 

enemy ! ' 

Then the ecclesiastical governors said : ^There is but one 

resource left, the people are superstitious; we must frighten 

them with the names of God and religion.' 

^''Our dear brethren! our children! God has ordained 

us to govern you!' 

^^ People. — ^Show us your power from God!' 

'-^ Priests. — ''You must have faith ; reason leads astray.' 

^^ People, — ^Do you govern without reason?' 

^-^ Priests. — ''God commands peace. Religion prescribes 

obedience.' 

^^ People. — ''Peace supposes justice. Obedience implies 

conviction of duty.' 

^''Priests. — ^Suffering is the business of this world,' 

^^ People. — ^Show us an example.' 

^"^ Priests. — ^ Would you live without gods and kings?' 

^^People. — 'We would live without oppressors.' 

^^Priests. — 'You must have mediators, intercessors.' 

^^People. — ' Mediators with God, kings, courtiers, and 

priests! Your services are too expensive, we will manage 

our own affairs.' 

" Then the little group said : 'AH is lost— the multitude 

are enlightened.' 

" The people answered : 'All is safe. Since we are en- 
lightened, we will commit no violence ; we only claim our 

rights. We feel resentments, but we must forget them. 

We were slaves, we must command, we only wish to be 

free, and liberty is but justice.' " 

Volney, a French nobleman, was born in 1753, and 

died in 1797. He maintained that the force of the State 

was in proportion to those who tilled the soil and owned it. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 365 

Dr. Franklin wrote this on a margin of one of Jefferson's 
pamplets: '^Happiness is more generally diffused among sav- 
ages than in civilized societies. No European, vi^ho has once 
tasted savage life, can ever afterward bear to live in our so- 
cieties. The care of providing for artifical wants — the sight 
of so many rich wallowing in superfluous plenty, whereby 
many are kept poor and distressed by want — the insolence 
of office — the snares and plague of law, and the restraints of 
custom, all contribute to disgust them with what we call 
civilized society." 

Archbishop Fenelon, a Catholic divine, offended the king 
of France by his '^ Telemachus," which reproved him for 
his misrule. The morals in this book are sublime. Its po- 
litical maxims are for the happiness of mankind. This good 
man died in 17 15. . These are extracts from his book: 

^••If he is qualified to govern in peace, it must follow that 
he should be governed by the wisest laws. He must restrain 
pride and luxury, and suppress all arts which can only grati- 
fy vice. He must only encourage those which supply the 
necessaries of life, especially agriculture, to which the prin- 
cipal attention of the people should be turned. 

^•"Whatever is necessary will become abundant. The 
people being inured to labor, simple in their manners, ha- 
bituated to live upon a little, and therefore easily gaining a 
subsistence from the fields, will multiply without end. The 
people will be healthy and vigorous, not effeminated by lux- 
ury, veterans in virtue, not slavishly attached to a life of vo- 
luptuous idleness. 

••'When they [savages] were told of nations who have the 
art of erecting superb buildings, and making splendid furni- 
ture of silver and gold, stuffs adorned with embroidery and 
jewels, exquisite perfumes, costly meats, and instruments of 
music, they replied that the people of such nations are ex- 
32 



366 The Laborer; 

tremely unhappy in employing so much labor and ingenuity 
to render themselves at once corrupt and wretched. Su- 
perfluities effeminate, intoxicate, and torment those who pos- 
sess them. They tempt those who do not possess them to 
acquire them hy fraud and violence. Can that superfluity 
be good which tends only to make men evil ? Are people 
of these countries more healthy or more robust than we are? 
Do they live longer, agree better with each other. Are 
not their hearts corroded with envy, and agitated with am- 
bition and terror ? Are they not incapable of pleasures that 
are pure and simple ? And is not this incapacity the una- 
voidable consequence of the innumerable artificial wants to 
which they are enslaved, and upon which they make all 
their happiness depend. 

"These were the sentiments of a people who acquired 
wisdom by the study of nature. They considered 'refine- 
ments with abhorrence, and it must be confessed that, in their 
simplicity, they were great. They lived in common, having 
no partnership in the land. The head of every family is a 
king.^' 

Helvetius, in his "Essay on Man," says: ''A small for- 
tune will suffice a busy man. The largest will not supply 
him that has no employ. A hundred villages must be laid 
in waste to amuse an idle wretch. The greatest princes 
have not sufficient riches to supply the avidity of a woman, 
an idle courtier, or a prelate. It is not the poor, but the idle 
rich that feel the want of immense riches, for which nations 
are loaded with taxes and ruined. How many citizens are 
deprived of necessaries, merely to support the expense of a 
few discontented mortals ! When riches have stupefied the 
faculty in man, he gives himself up to idleness. He feels 
at once a pain in serving himself. If a man were truly noble 
and honest he would spend his time in tears," 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 367 

Douglas Jerrold, in his '^St. Giles and St. James/' con- 
trasts the condition of the rich and poor. ^' In the streets 
of London an infant is found on a door step. The by-stand- 
ers exclaim ^ God help it,' and with this easy adjuration we 
consign thousands and tens of thousands of human beings 
to want and ignorance; doom, when yet sleeping the sleep 
of guiltlessness, to future devils — their own misguided pas- 
sions. We make them outcasts, wretches, and punish them 
in their wickedness for our own selfishness and neglect. 

''^The child is before us. May we not see about it, con- 
tending for it, the principles of good and evil ? a contest 
between the angels and the fiends? . Come hither, states- 
men ; you who live within a party circle ; you, who fight 
some miserable fight; continually strive in some selfish 
struggle for power and place^ considering men only as tools^ 
the merest instrumeiits of your aggrandizement; come here, 
in the wintry street, and look upon God's image in its baby- 
hood! Consider this little man. Are not creatures such 
as these the noblest, grandest things of earth? Have they 
not solemn natures- — are they not subtly touched for the 
highest purposes of human life ? Come they not into this 
world to grace and dignify it? There is no spot, no coarser 
stufF in the pauper flesh before you, that indicates a lower 
nature. There is no felon mark upon it — no natural forma- 
tion indicating the thief in its baby fingers — no inevitable 
blasphemy upon its lips. It lies before you a fair and un- 
sullied thing, fresh from the hand of God. Will you, with- 
out an effort, let the great fiend stamp his fiery brand upon 
it ? Shall it, even in its sleeping innocence, be made a 
trading thing by misery and vice? a creature borne from 
street to street, a piece of living merchandise for mingling 
beggary and crime? Say; what, with its awakening soul, 
shall it learn ? What lessons whereby to pass through life. 



368 The Laborer; 

making an item in the social sum ? Why, cunning will be 
wisdom ; hypocrisy its truth ; theft its natural law of self- 
preservation. To this child, so nurtured, so taught, your 
whole code of morals, nay, your brief right and wrong, are 
writ in stranger figures than Egyptian hieroglyphics, and — 
time passes — and you scourge the creature never taught, 
for the heinous guilt of knowing nought but ill ! The good 
has been a sealed book to him, and the dunce is punished 
with the jail." 

Rev. Sidney Smith, in 1820, said : "In what four quarters 
of the globe, who reads an American book?" H. C. Carey, 
of Philadelphia, has written 3,000 pages on political econo- 
my. His books, for truth and clearness, exceed all that has 
been written on this subject. His books are, an ^' Essay on 
Wages," "Past, Present, and Future," in two volumes, and 
^' Social Science," in three volumes. He teaches earnestly 
that the farmer and mechanic should be together, so as to 
save the middleman. In his "Social Science" is this lan- 
guage: "Why does misery and crime exist? Why, when 
so large a portion of the earth is yet unoccupied ? Human 
beings are suffering for food, and crowded together in un- 
wholesome dens, to the sacrifice of comfort, decency, and 
health. Why does one nation export food, of which its 
own members are in need, while another nation sends its 
manufactures throughout the world, although hundreds of 
thousands at home are scarcely clothed ? In short, what is 
the cause of the measureless woe that exists on the earth ? 
* ^ ^ * ^ Seeing the great disparity there is between the 
different conditions of human hfe, we ought to raise each 
lower class to a class above it. This is the true equaliza- 
tion of mankind — not to pull down those who are exalted 
and reduce all to a naked equality, but to raise those who 
are abased, to communicate to every man genuine pleasures, 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 369 

to elevate every man to all true wisdom, and to make men 
participators of a comprehensive benevolence. This is the 
path which the reformers of mankind ought to travel. This 
is the path they should pursue. Do you tell me that soci- 
ety can never arrive at this improvement? I tell you we 
can come nearer and nearer yet." 

Charles Fourier was born in 1772, and died in 183—. 
He was, at five years of age, punished for telling the truth in 
his father's shop, which he never forgot. It led to this truth, 
that agricultural association and wholesale dealings were 
the only means of neutralizing fraud and falsehood in com- 
mercial dealings. His father left him $20,000, which he in- 
vested in rice, sugar, tea and coffee. This was taken from 
him for the use of the hospital troops of the Convention. 
A vessel laden with goods, belonging to him, was wrecked, 
which made him poor. Being fond of fruit, he was obliged 
to pay sevenpence for an apple in a town, which were sold 
for three farthings a dozen in the country. These and some 
other causes led him to frame his system of *' phalanstery, 
social husbandry, and attractive industry." He waited for 
a large capitalist to carry out his plans ; none offered him- 
self to put them in practice. 

His ideas were based on reasoning like this : A piece of 
ground takes one person twenty-four hours to dig it. If 
twelve men are put at it they will be '*" joyous and happy, 
and do it in an hour and a half." Groups were to take care 
of the poultry, others to work in the kitchen, workshops, 
and gardens, ''under movable canvas canopies." All these 
groups have made free choice of the functions they are en- 
gaged at. If a shower of rain came up, those who worked 
in the house were to go to the fields with carriages after the 
distant laborers. 

Says the translator of Fourier's book: ''Large cities engulf 



370 The Laborer; 

vast masses of men in a kind of a living death, and doom 
them to wear away their lives in a wilderness of brick and 
mortar, amid the tumult and traffic of crowded streets, while 
all nature is robing herself in magnificence, as it were, to 
regale the senses of her lord, and raising her glad anthems 
to Him who arrays the earth in loveliness. The artisan is 
a stranger to scenes like these. The trees may be clothed 
in beauty unknown to him, the groves may be resonant with 
music that sounds unheeded by ears attuned only to the dis- 
cord of creaking machinery. 

"I do not call mere wages an index to the happiness of 
man. He may vote for a representative unbiased by threats, 
and yet be a slave in soul^ ground to the dust. If he suc- 
ceeds in getting a little capital, it is at the expense of worn 
limbs and an aching brow. Something must be wrong in 
our political schemes, to reduce men so low in the scale of 
happiness. Man was undoubtedly placed on the earth to cul- 
tivate and embellish it. He is invited, by its infinite variety, 
to satisfy his ever-multiplying wants, and encircle himself 
with its choicest beauties and costliest varieties. The 
earth, with all its boundless riches, is a waste, a wilderness, 
an unreclaimed desert. 

" Labor is the lot of man. Without toil he could not sup- 
port his body. That vast multitudes of men should be 
doomed to the soul-deadening drudgery of beasts of burden, 
is a libel on humanity. No agrarian scheme of division and 
anarchy is proposed to rob the rich and aggrandize the 
poor. The system now introduced seeks to show how 
multitudes may be released from heart-wearing toil, and the 
rich from corrupting and corroding idleness. The poverty- 
stricken may be raised to opulence, while the rich may be 
surrounded with additional magnificence." 

Harriet Martineau has shown what a woman can do, in 



A Remedy for his Wrongs, 371 

grappling with this difficult subject, which few men under- 
stand, nor do two men understand it alike. This lady treats 
political science in the same way as Ricardo and others. 
She believed that there should be distinct classes to receive 
rents and create capital. Her books are called ^^Illustra- 
tions of Political Economy," in which are interwoven the 
incidents of domestic life, with its cares and struggles, its 
hopes and fears. She has given to this dry, tedious science 
the noveltv of fiction and the pleasures of romance. Her 
'^ Tales and Sketches" show that women can think as well 
as men. Her " Manchester Strike " describes the distress 
of families, and how the factory children enjoyed their long 
holiday at first to be succeeded by pinching want. She very 
clearly points out that employers lose the rents of their shop, 
and how their capital yields no profits ; or, if the capital was 
partially borrowed, how the interest diminished the fund of 
the employer. This book shows how the work they might 
have done was made in other countries,* and how other peo- 
ple became skilled at the same work, and their competitors. 
When the workmen are ready to go to work, after losing 
their wages, the employer can not give work to as many 
as he did, his capital, stock, and machinery have wasted. 

Her books teach that laborers receive wages, capitalists 
profits, and land owners rents. What mankind want is a 
plan whereby they can all alike receive wages, profits, and 
rents. For useless labor this talented woman had no con- 
demnation. These two examples, or others like them, 
should afford satire for the pens of philosophers. The pal- 

* There was a strike among Paris hatters. English workmen gave to them 
money for their support. During this strike English hatters were supplying 
Paris with hats. If a hatter strikes and makes a $2.00 hat worth $2,25 5 
if the shoemaker strikes, and make shoes at $2,00, worth $2,25 a pair,what 
will the hatter gain? Nothing. When one class strikes all should strike. 



372 The Laborer; 

ace of Versailles was repaired at a cost of $200,000,000, for 
the accommodation of 100,000 philosophers, pensioners, no- 
bility, and statesmen, who were to surround the king. A 
single monument cost $10,000,000. The utility of these 
may be shown by the conversation of two weavers in the 
streets of Hull. One said to the other: "There is Wil- 
berforce's monument, it has given work to a great many 
mechanics." Said the other: ^' If the labor on it were in 
implements of industry, or on cottages for the poor, the la- 
bor would be of some utility, and promote the happiness of 
the human race." 

Wayland has given to us " The Elements of Political 
Economy" in three divisions — on "Production," "Distribu- 
tion," and "Consumption," which, when analyzed, say to la- 
borers : You are an inferior class ; it is your duty to produce 
and distribute, to be consumed by a superior class, clothing, 
food, and other things. This is from his book: " Consump- 
tion is the destruction of values. By this is not meant 
the annihilation of the material^ but only of a particular form 
of utility. Thus, if gunpowder be burned, if bread be eaten, 
if a tree be felled, the particular utility each originally pos- 
sessed is destroyed forever. And the destruction of value 
takes place altogether independently of the result which 
may in different cases ensue, because that destruction is as 
truly effected in one case as in another. A load of wood 
that has been burned, as truly loses its utility — its power of 
creating heat — when it is destroyed by a conflagration as 
when it is consumed under a steam-boiler, or in a fireplace, 
though the result in the two cases may be very dissimilar. 
If bread be thrown into the sea, its utility is destroyed just 
as much as if it were eaten ; though, in the one case, there 
is no result from the consumption, in the other, it is the 
means of creating the vigor necessary for labor/' 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 373 

It is self-evident, that if a person spends his day-time in 
learning this, he will be poor or make some one else poor. 
It will bring about the result mentioned by Say — the laborer 
will get none of the comforts of life. Thousands have 
been taught out of these books, yet they can not prevent 
the increase of want and crime. 

The Rev. Mr. Blake, author of '^ Political Economy for 
the use of American Schools," '^thinks it very improper to 
teach the poor the nature of political economy. * ^ * The 
rich and the poor are necessary to each other; because, 
without the rich, the poor would starve, and without the 
poor the rich would have to work. * * * If^ besides fur- 
nishing subsistence for himself, the wages of the laborer do 
not enable him to maintain a wife and bring up a family, 
the laborers will gradually diminish, and the scarcity of la- 
borers will raise their own wages, which will enable them 
to live with more comfort and rear a family; but, as the 
capitalist will always keep wages as low as he can, the la- 
borer and his family can seldom command more than the 
necessaries of life." 

Bulwer, in his writings, seems to plead for the poor crim- 
inals, and to blame society for their many crimes. In his 
"Eugene Aram," he puts this complaint in the mouth of 
one of them: '^Why is this? The world is my treasury; 
I live upon my kind ; society is my foe ; laws order me 
to starve: but self-preservation is an instinct more sacred 
than society, more imperious than laws." 

Bulwer seems to look upon the governing powers as no 
better than thieves. His " Paul Clifford," the tenth chapter 
reads as follows : "'Listen to me, Paul,' answered Augus- 
tus ; 'all crime and excellence depend upon a choice of 
words. I see you look puzzled. I will explain. If you 
take money from the public and say you have been robbed, 
33 



374 The Laborer; 

you have undoubtedly committed a great crime ; but if you 
say you have been relieving the necessities of the poor^ you have 
done an excellent action. If, afterward when dividing this 
money with your companions, you say you have been shar- 
ing booty, you have committed an offense against the laws 
of your country. But if you observe that you have been 
sharing with your friends the gains of your industry^ you have 
performed one of the noblest actions of humanity. To 
knock a man on the head is neither virtuous nor guilty, but 
it depends upon the language applied to the action to make 
it murder or glory. Why not say, then, that you have shown 
the courage of a hero^ rather than the atrocity of a ruff an ? 
This is perfectly clear, is it not ? ' 

'^^It seems so,' answered Paul. 

"' It is so self-evident, it is the way all governments are 
carried on. If you want to rectify an abuse those in power 
call you disaffected. Oppression is law and order ^ Extor- 
tion is a religious establishment; and the taxes are the blessed 
constitution. Therefore, my good Paul, we only do what 
all other legislators do. We are never rogues so long as 
we call ourselves honest fellows, and we never commit a 
crime so long as we can call it a virtue! What say you 
now?' 

"'My dear Tomlinson, there is very little doubt but that 
you are wrong; yet if you are, so are all the rest of the 
world. It is to no use to be the only white sheep in the 
flock. Wherefore, I will in future be an excellent citizen, 
by relieving the necessities of the poor^ and sharing the gains 
of my industry with my friends.'" 

This same author, in this book, says: "The learned pro- 
fessions are masks to your pauper rogues ; they give respec- 
tability to cheating, and a diploma to feed on others." 

Joseph Kay, in his " Social Condition of England," tells 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 375 

us of scenes that no benevolent mind can bear to read of, a 
father and* mother and six children in one bed. In a room 
in Church Lane were found two widows with four children, 
three single women and one man, two husbands and their 
wives. These were respectable people. Houses are so of- 
fensive that persons can not visit them with medicines or 
consolation. There are scenes so depraved that they can 
not occur in savage life." 

Chateaubriand, in his "American Travels," says: "The 
mercantile spirit is beginning to carry them away ; interest 
is fast becoming with them a great national vice. A gold- 
bearing aristocracy is ready to spring up, with a love of dis- 
tinctions and a passion for titles. People imagine there is a 
universal level in the United States ; it is a complete error. 
There are circles that disdain each other, and between them 
there is not any connection. The enormous inequality of 
fortune threatens still more seriously to destroy the spirit of 
equality. A cold and hard selfishness reigns in the large 
towns." 

Fortesque, Lord High Chancellor under Henry VI, says: 
" Every inhabitant is at liberty to fully use and enjoy the 
fruits of the earth, products of the farm, and the increase 
of his flocks. All the improvement he makes by his own 
personal industry, or of those he retains in his service, are his 
own, to use and enjoy, without the let, interruption, or de- 
nial of any man. If he be injured, he shall have satisfac- 
tion against the party offending. Hence it is that the in- 
habitants are rich in silver and gold, and in all the necessa- 
ries of life. They drink no water unless at certain times, 
by the way of doing penance ; they are fed in great abun- 
dance with all sorts of flesh and fish \ they are clothed in 
good woolens; their bedding is of wool, and that in great 
store ; they are all well provided with household goods and 



376 The Laborer; 

implements for husbandry. Every one, according to his 
rank, has all things to make life easy and happy." 

^-^Evidence before the House of Commons, in 1824, stated 
that the laboring classes of Suffolk were robbers too deeply 
corrupted to be ever reclaimed. The sheriff of Wiltshire 
stated the food of the field laborers to be potatoes. The 
judges of the King's Court declared the general food of the 
laborers to be bread and water, and that some had eaten 
horse-flesh and brewer's grains. 

^^A law recently published tells the world that this nation, 
once the greatest and the most moral in the world, is now 
a nation of incorrigible thieves, the most impoverished, fall- 
en, and degraded that ever saw the sunlight." — Cobbett, 

Such a condition of life is caused by selling the food of 
laborers abroad for useless things. It is converting men, 
who should be farmers, into sailors, custom-house officers, 
life-insurers, and other pursuits that cause the misery of the 
nation. 

Burke, in his writings, said : "Religion is for the man in 
humble life, to raise his nature, and to put him in mind of 
a state in which the privileges of opulence will cease^ where 
he will be equal by nature and more than equal by virtue." 

Reasoning like this will not make the toiling man con- 
tented, when earth has such an abundance. Burns has said : 

**If I'm designed yon lordling^s slave, — 

By nature's law designed, 
Why was ever an independent wish 

E'er implanted in my mind ? 
If not, why am I subject to 

His cruelty or scorn ? 
Or why has man the will, the power, 

To make his fellow mourn ? 

See yonder poor o'erlaborM wight, Who begs a brother of the earth 

So abject, mean, and vile, To give. him leave to toil." 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 377 

Dr. Channing says: '*'The fruits of modern civilization 
are, a contempt for other's rights, fraud, oppression, a gam- 
bling disposition in trade, reckless adventure, and commercial 
revulsions tending to impoverish the laborer, and to render 
insecure every condition of life. Relief is to come from the 
new application of Christian principles, and of universal 
justice to men." 

M. Sismondi says: "There is spoliation. The rich man 
robs the poor, when he draws from his fertile and easily 
cultivated soil his opulence. Whilst he who has raised 
this income, who with his sweat has bathed every produc- 
tion, dies with hunger." 

^-^The great living mass^ who are the creators of wealth, 
are trampled down with as much indifference as if they 
were weeds." — London Times^ December %th^ 1844. 

John Ball, a priest, in 1378, went up and down England, 
inculcating on the minds of the common people that man- 
kind were all derived from one common stock; and he ex- 
plained to them that it was to support a few in riotous lux- 
ury, in extravagance and debauchery, that many were re- 
duced to starvation. He tried in vain to find out the right 
a few had to bind the mass of their fellow-beings to their 
will, because they happened to be born in a palace. He 
also informed them all had an equal right to liberty and the 
goods of nature, from which they had been deprived by the 
ambition of the insolent few. Three years after this the 
Wat Tyler rebellion broke out, caused by these circum- 
stances: The French wars of Edward HI caused much ex- 
pense, to meet which a tax was put on every person fifteen 
years of age and upward. A collector of this tax went to 
the house of Tyler, and demanded the tax for the mother 
and her daughter. A dispute arose with the mother about 
the age of her child. The ruffian resorted to his usual bru- 



378 The Laborer; 

tal method of deciding the difficulty. The indignation of 
the mother and the terror of the daughter caused such an 
outcry that a multitude was quickly assembled, which hast- 
ened the father, who came with his blacksmith hammer, and 
laid the agent of oppression dead at his feet with a single 
blow. Tyler soon had 100,000 armed men. The king fled 
to the Tower for safety. Tyler demanded an audience. He 
told the king his people were perishing on account of taxa- 
tion, and his father did not treat them so. The young king 
said: '^ He did not know the people suffered." The atten- 
dants gathered around to hear Tyler tell his story, which 
caused him unthinkingly to lay his hand on his sword. This 
offended Wm. Walworth, Lord Mayor of London, and he 
struck him with his spear. Another thrust him in the side. 
The arrows of the angry insurgents were about to be sent 
among the royal retainers. The king, with great presence 
of mind, threw himself among them, and said : ^^ I grant all 
your demands ; follow me, I will be your leader." The 
concessions made were afterward revoked, and the leaders 
were executed. This rebellion loosened the chains of the 
people and taught kings a lesson. 

The demands were— -/?rj/, freedom from the condition of 
serfs ; second^ the reduction of the lands to a moderate price ; 
thirds that they be charged with no more taxes than their 
forefathers paid ; fQurth^ the right to sell in all the fairs in the 
kingdom; fifth^ a field rent instead of villanage services; 
sixth^ the right to hunt and fish. 

Wm. Godwin, a philosophical recluse, during the storm 
of the French Revolution, sent forth out of his retreat 
arousing thoughts and burning words, that gave vigor and 
life to the heaving mass of minds around him. In his 
^^ Political Justice" is this : ^' Kings are the most unfortunate 
and the most misled of all human beings. Royalty allies 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 379 

itself to vice. Kings debauched from their birth, and 
ruined by their situation, can not endure intercourse with 
virtue. Monarchy is so unnatural an institution, that man- 
kind have, at all times, strongly suspected it was unfriendly 
to their happiness. The man who, with difficulty, earns his 
scanty subsistence, can not behold the ostentatious splendor 
of a king without being visited by some sense of injustice. 
He inevitably questions, in his mind, the utility of an officer 
whose services are hired at so enormous a price. 

^' These reflections are so unavoidable, that kings them- 
selves have often been aware of the danger of their imagi- 
nary happiness. They have sometimes been alarmed at the 
progress of thinking, and have often regarded the prosperity 
of their subjects as a source of terror and apprehension. 
Hence, the well known maxims of monarchical govern- 
ments, that it is necessary to keep the people in a state of 
poverty and endurance, in order to render them submissive, 
and ease is the parent of rebellion. Hence, this lesson is per- 
petually read to monarchs : 'Render your subjects prosper- 
ous, and they will speedily refuse to labor; they will be- 
come stubborn, proud, unsubmissive to the yoke, and ripe 
for revolt. It is impotence and penury alone that will ren- 
der them supple, and prevent them from rebelling against 
the dictates of authority.' — Fenelon's Telemachus, 

^•'A second source of destructive passions, by which the 
peace of society is interrupted, is to be found in the luxury, 
pageantry, and magnificence with which enormous wealth 
is usually accompanied. Human beings are capable of en- 
countering, with cheerfulness, hardships when they are im- 
partially shared by the rest of society The rich are, in all 
such countries directly or indirectly the legislators of a State; 
and are perpetually reducing oppression into a system. Leg- 
islation, in almost every country, is in favor of the rich." 



380 The Laborer; 

Let no one think that if we mitigate human misery the 
earth will be too populous. It has been computed that the 
20,000,000 of acres in Ireland, will support 100,000,000 
of persons in potatoes. Sharon Turner tells us that the 
rice that can be grown in China will maintain 900,000,000 
of people. Let no one harden their hearts with Malthu- 
sian doctrines, or think the earth will be too populous, and 
look on little children with pain, and imagine they will in- 
crease faster than food. Hugh Miller tells us that pam- 
pered animals do not increase as fast as those in an opposite 
condition. If universal luxury should prevail, it will no 
doubt put a ''check on population." 

Wm. Godwin has given us an "Essay on Population," in 
which he asserts that three-fourths of the earth is a wilder- 
ness. This book was to show how absurd were the teach- 
ings of Malthus. Godwin, by these quotations, taken from 
Montesquieu*s ''Persian Letters," proves that our world is 
not as populous as it was: 

"Italy, though its present population is confined to the 
towns, is a mere vacancy and a desert. It seems they ex- 
ist for no other purpose than to mark the spot where those 
magnificent cites stood, with" whose policy and wars history 
is filled. 

"Rome contained a greater population than any one of 
the most powerful kingdoms of Europe does at present. 
There were single Roman citizens, who possessed 20,000 
slaves for rustic purposes. 

"Sicily, in times of old, contained within its shores pow- 
erful kingdoms and flourishing states, which have entirely 
disappeared. 

"Greece is so wholly deserted as not to contain the one- 
hundreth part of the number of its former inhabitants. 

"Spain, formerly so abundant in men, exhibits nothing at . 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 381 

the present day, but a variety of provinces, almost without 
inhabitants ; and France is an unpeopled region compared 
with the ancient Gaul that Caesar described to us. 

'''■ The North of Europe is in a manner stripped of its 
people. The times are no more when she is obliged to 
separate her people into portions, and to send them forth in 
swarms and colonies, to seek some new spot where they 
might dwell at large. 

*•' Poland and Turkey in Europe are almost without in- 
habitants. 

"Asia is not in a much better condition. Asia Minor^ 
which boasted of so many powerful monarchies, and so pro- 
digious a number of great cities in her limits, with Greater 
Asia, or the part subject to Turkey, is in no better condition. 

^^ Persia, if we compare it with its former condition, we 
shall see it contains but a very small residue of the popu- 
lation which anciently furnished the innumerable hosts of 
Xerxes and Darien. 

""As to the smaller states, which were placed in the vi- 
cinity of these great empires, they are literally unpeopled, 
such as Circassia, Guriel, and Imiretta. The princes over 
the extent of the country in which they now preside have 
scarcely under their subjection as many as 50,000 beings. 

"Africa has always been so unpenetrated that we can not 
speak of it with the same precision as of the other parts of 
the globe ; but, if we only turn our attention to the coast 
of the Mediterranean — the portions which are known — we 
see how wretched it has sunk since the period in which it 
first formed a Roman province of the highest kind. Its 
princes are now so feeble, that they are strictly the smallest 
powers in existence. 

"Egypt has not suffered less than the countries I have 
mentioned. 



382 The Laborer; 

'^In a word, I review the different nations of the earth, 
and I find nothing but destruction. I seem to see a race 
of beings who have escaped from the ravages of a univer- 
sal plague or a universal famine. 

^^Upon a calculation, I am led to think that the earth 
does not contain the fiftieth part of the population that in- 
habited it in the time of Caesar. What is more astonish- 
ing, that its population grows thinner every day; and if it 
goes on at this rate, in one thousand years the human race 
will become extinct. 

^^ Here, then, my friends, we are presented with the most 
fearful catastrophe that imagination can conceive of, yet it 
is hardly attended too, because it proceeds by insensible 
degrees, and spreads itself over such a series of ages. This 
very thing incontestibly proves, that there is an innate vice, 
a concealed and inaccessible poison, a wasting disease, which 
clings to our nature and can not be removed." 

David Hume wrote an ^^ Essay on Population," which 
contradicts the author of Lettres Persannes. The strange 
doctrines of Malthus found an opponent in Sharon Turner, 
a legal gentleman, whose life begun in 1761, and ended in 
1847. By improving his leisure hours he has left a pleas- 
ing, enlightening, and enduring monument in his *' History 
of the Anglo-Saxons" and '■''Sacred History of the World." 
Each is in three volumes. The last begins with man in 
his creation, brings him through the deluge, and down the 
disturbed stream of time to the present age. Malthus, in the 
last books, gets some hard blows for asserting his incongru- 
ous, contemptible ideas that man's increase lessens his food. 
Turner's books contain this : "When the work is indispen- 
sable we can only take such laborers as we can get. As the 
working population increases^ selection becomes possible." 
This applies to the idle. He treats on the "food supplies." 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 383 

Mr. Wesley wrote on almost every subject. He did not 
write on political subjects. The code of rules he gave to 
his people will make any nation rich. His rules forbid or- 
naments on dress, houses, or equipages. His rules make 
him a Christian philosopher of the highest order. No one 
in modern times has exceeded him in benefiting mankind. 
He said : "The early Christians made no account of per- 
ishable goods. They despised all that luxury had intro- 
duced, all the idle expense in magnificent buildings, costly 
apparel, sumptuous furniture, and vessels of gold. As to 
their dress, they wore no glaring colors, mostly white, the 
emblem of purity. They used no costly stuffs, rings, jew- 
elry, or perfumes ; nothing fine or delicate. Plainness, mod- 
esty, gravity, and a contempt for ornament was visible in 
their whole exterior." 

In his "Sermon on Money," it is thus written: "Do not 
waste any part, merely in gratifying the eye, by superfluous 
or expensive apparel, or by needless ornaments. Waste no 
part of it in curiously adorning your houses; in superfluous 
ornaments or expensive furniture, costly pictures, gildings, 
books, paintings; in elegant rather than useful gardens. 

"Who would expend any thing in gratifying these desires, 
if he considered that to gratify them is to increase them ? 
Nothing can be more certain than this: daily experience 
shows, the more. they are indulged they increase the more. 
Whenever, therefore, you expend any thing to please your 
taste or other senses, you pay so much for sensuality. If 
you lay out money to please your eye, you give so much for 
an increase of curiosity — for a stronger attachment to the 
pleasures that perish from the using. While you are pur- 
chasing any thing that men applaud, you are purchasing 
more vanity. Had you not, then, enough vanity, sensuality, 
axid curiosity before ? Was there need of any such addition? 



384 The Laborer; 

And would you pay for it, too ? What manner of wisdom is 
this? Would not the literally throwing your money into 
the sea be a less mischievous folly ?" 

Mr Paley, in his "Evidences of Christianity," said, you 
can tell Methodists by their plainness, they resembled the 
early Christians. Rev. Mr. Paley would not say that now. 
If Mr. Wesley could see now the costly female colleges that 
are erected, he could say, in the language of Mary WoU- 
stonecraft: "A few brilliant minds at the expense of all the 
rest." He could also say: The costly wood and stone carv- 
ings, frescoed ceiling, glass stained, effigied, mullioned win- 
dows, carpeted floors, and easy sofas that the pupils enjoy, 
are at the expense of the comforts of some one else. To de- 
monstrate this is easy : The parents of these pupils became 
Christians, which made them thoughtful and money saving. 
These savings, instead of being invested in lands and looms, 
cultivated by the investor, are put in bridges, roads, stocks, 
corner lots, and wild lands, the profits of which keep them 
in learned, splendid idleness. 

These investing Christians are conscious that their gains 
through the State's care can go into the people's pockets. If 
these pupils, the children of light and grace, would work at 
farm work two hours a day, during the planting and reaping 
time, and two hours daily in winter spinning and weaving, 
they would have created their own food and clothing, which 
would make them feel happier and better, and relieve others 
from the burden of keeping them, who would find time for 
home learning. Mr. Wesley, when young, made a vow that 
he never would be rich. He said: "If I am worth more 
than fifty pounds at my death, call me a thief and a robber." 



i 


^ 


^ 


i 


M 


^g 




1 


^ 



CHAPTER XVII. 



REASONS FOR REFORMS. 




Dr. Paley on Society — A Presidential Candidate's Home — Cost of In- 
temperance — The Fool's Pence — Theory of Governments — What we 
Pay for Being Governed — John Adams' Plea for the Constitutions. 

** Seize upon truth wherever found, 
On Christian or on heathen ground ; 
Among your friends, among your foes. 
The plant's divine where'er it grows." — Cowper. 

|R. WILLIAM PALEY, D. D., Archdeacon of 
Carlisle, in his "Principles of Moral and Polit- 
ical Philosophy," says: "If you should see a flock 
of pigeons in a field of corn, and if (instead of each picking 
where and what it liked, taking just as much as it wanted, 
and no more) you should see ninety-nine of them gathering 
all they got into a heap, reserving nothing for themselves 
but the chaff and the refuse ; keeping this heap for one, 
and that the weakest, perhaps worst, pigeon of the flock ; 
sitting around, and looking on all the winter whilst this one 
was devouring, throwing about, and wasting it; and if a 
pigeon more hardy or hungry than the rest, touched a grain 
of the hoard, all the others instantly flying upon it, and tear- 
ing it to pieces ; if you should see this, you would see noth- 
ing more than what is every day practiced and established 
am.ong men. 

"Among men, you see the ninety and nine toiling and 

(^85) 



386 The Laborer; 

scraping together a heap of superfluities for one (and this one, 
too, oftentimes the feeblest aud worst of the whole set, a 
child, a woman, a madman, or a fool) ; getting nothing for 
themselves all the while but a little of the coarsest pro- 
vision which their own industry produces ; looking quietly 
on, while they see all the fruits of their labor spent or 
spoiled ; and if one of the number take or touch a particle 
of the hoard, the others joining against him, and hanging 
him for the theft." 

This is found in "Littell's Living Age: " ^^At a meeting 
of the King's Council, at which a bishop was to have bfeen 
appointed, a member proposed Dr. Paley. At the mention 
of his name, the king cried out : * What ! what ! what ! Pig- 
eon Paley! — make Pigeon Paley a bishop ? No, no, no ; 
never!'" 

In society we often see men, who toil hard all day for 
others, and scarcely get a sufficiency of good food, or a de- 
cent suit of Sunday clothing in which to go to church and 
learn the moral duties of life.* The reason why this is so, 
men work at unprofitable employments. To illustrate this, 
if you visit a cabinet wareroom in the principal street of 
this city [Cincinnati], you will see book-cases worth $2,000, 
bedsteads worth $1,000, and chairs $100 each. It will ex- 
cite wonder at the delicate carving, fine polished woods. In- 
laid with silver, satin and ebony wood from Brazil, mother 

* "Brethren, you have in your city as much misery as there is anywhere. I 
have seen more than one family in a room. I am often called to bury their 
dead. I invite these poor to church. Then I call and inquire, if they had 
heen to church. The reply was : *We looked in and saw the merchants and 
bankers, and could not overcome the difficulties.' I said they are a good sort 
of people, and want to do you good." — A part of a sermon preached in Wes- 
ley Chapel, Cincinnati, Nov. 30th, 1868. By the Rev. Charles Ferguson. 
Plainness of dress, as recommended by Mr. Wesley, cures these "difficulties** 
and invites people to church. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 387 

of pearl, ivory, and tortoise shell, forming beautiful mosaic, 
a landscape, or a bird of brilliant plumage. Often a bed- 
stead has on it a carved hunting scene. The head-board is a 
carved mass of festoons and foliage, surrounding a bird's nest 
with the bird on the edge of it cut in high relief. We of- 
ten see a marble-topped table, with its whimsical-carved 
frame, covered with gold. If laboring men turn reformers 
they are often taunted with being idle, drunken, worthless 
vagabonds, and if they had any energy they would rise above 
their condition. Those making this assertion are well off, 
and generally think others can become so. The money that 
pays for this finery is often ill-gotten, and those from whom 
it is taken should be making comforts for themselves. It is 
impossible, from the nature of things, that the maker of these 
articles should be in any other condition than that of pov- 
erty, because some people use a thousand times more labor 
than others do. 

ji Candidate's Home,—^^The mansion is a most magnificent 
one, with a finish such as is seldom seen this side of the 
water. At every turn, evidences of European travel meet 
the eye, while the floors of the principal apartments are laid 
in marble mosaic of elaborate patterns. Attached to the 
m^in building is an elegant floral conservatory, in the style 
of a grotto, filled with all the choicest exotics, peeping out 
from every little cave, in every variety and color. At a 
little distance from this there is a succession of hot-houses, 
in which I noticed, growing most luxuriantly, bananas and 
pine-apples, and other tropical fruits. The grounds, which 
are seventy-three acres in extent, are most charmingly di- 
versified, and in all the highest state of ornamental cultiva- 
tion. The views from the front and rear verandas of the 
main building are wonderfully grand and beautiful."* 

"^Cincinnati Commercial, July 15, 1868. 



388 The Laborer; 

In addition to this he has no doubt velvet carpets, and his 
seats are covered with soft shaggy plush, or satin damask. 
Laborers, sitting on them not knowing their softness, would 
be frightened at the sinking sensation. A truthful epitaph. 

To keep from 

falling into obHvion the name of 

GEO. II PENDLEDON, 

simple-minded and homeless men dug, polished, 

carved, lettered, and sculptured this marble. 

'•"He rose in the morning and went to bed at night/* 

for years. 

He could say with Watts, '' There are a number of us born 

Merely to eat up the corn." 

His plans to pay a nation's debt was an inundation of 

paper money. 

He was an imitator of Charles XII, of Sweden, 

who paid his debts with copper that was by his decree 

made to be of the same value as silver. 

•He had no plans to ameliorate the condition of 

impoverished, suffering men. 

His ^^Escort," numbering, perhaps, 200 men, left this city, 
and went to the city of New York, to name this man to be 
the chief ruler. They took with them fifteen barrels of 
beer, and five of whisky.''" Said a paper of that city, ^'Their 

* I asked a printer, an eye-witness to this carousal, if these things were so. 
He said : The amount of liquor was, perhaps, twice as much. At their quar- 
ters in the city, these " commissary stores " were put in a corner and given away. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 389 

procession had a woe-stricken and dilapidated look/' What 
pain this scene must have given the moral Democrats, to see 
their delegates under the power of bad drink, while naming 
a chief ruler! The result of such conduct is, that very bad 
men get promoted. What a reproach it is that New York 
City, filled with book and Bible printing-houses, the source 
of those noble charities that are felt over this land and the 
earth, should elect a John Mofrissey, a pugilist, to Congress, 
to make rules for the moral part of community, who has the 
ability more than others, to knock a person down. 

This Pendeldon who lives so finely in his sister's home, has 
splendid wealth, a father's patrimony. His biographer tells 
us he has traveled among the ruins of Thebes, and gazed 
upon the Pyramids of Egypt. The money taken from the 
dwellers on the banks of the Ohio, was given to the Arabs 
on the Nile. In his life, sent out to prove that he was a prop- 
er person to be the " standard bearer of Democracy," noth- 
ing is said of his visiting the afflicted, and helping to dry up 
their tears; nor is any thing said about founding asylums 
for the unfortunate. 

The food of this man is the finest and the best. There is 
no doubt that some part of it is coated with white sugar, 
and covered with sugar angels, cupids, birds, and flowers, 
at a great cost. It is self-evident that this costly food, dur- 
ing its preparation took much labor which should be bet- 
ter employed. The luxury of this man is misery to some 
one else. Says one. Does not this give employment ? It 
does ; it is unnecessary employment. The wages that are 
paid should be employed in creating comforts for those who 
bought his lots and farms, to get which they suffered pain. 

We can very justly question the fitness of such a man 
to be above the humble ones, to make rules for them, or to 
rule them. In the first place, he has no sympathy for them, 
34 



390 The Laborer; 

no feelings in unison with theirs, nor been a partaker of 
their sufferings. He has never been rudely repulsed when 
he asked for work, or reproached for not doing it well, or 
having the quantity deficient. He has never experienced the 
painful feelings of begging for work, or those when dis- 
charged. This man receives prompt obedience from sub- 
missive servants, pleasing adulation from compliant mer- 
chants, and good wishes from kind friends, who enjoy his 
grapes and pine-apples, his conversation, books, gardens, 
conservatories, elegant pictures, luxurious seats, and abun- 
dant dinners. A man thus surrounded with all that heart 
can wish or desire, and continually greeted with the smiles 
of friends, his wishes gratified, and plans carried out, will in- 
sensibly lead him into the opinion that he is a superior per- 
son, which will be increased by seeing his well fed, com- 
fortably clad appearance of his servants. He will give his 
money to mechanics for his grottoes and other fancies, 
which will procure for him the title of benefactor from flat- 
tering friends, who ignore the fact that these benefits are 
from his tenants that eat butterless bread, from interest-pay- 
ing men whose houses are unadorned. 

This man's person in his baby-hood and boy-hood, was 
covered with fine linen, and costly velvets. The world 
to him was full of playthings to destroy. He could roll on 
the grass in ecstacy, gather flowers, or chase butterflies. 
His youthful back never ached with gathering potatoes; his 
little fingers never were numbed with cold, gathering apples; 
he never shivered in the cold, feeding cattle, or groaned at 
chopping wood. Servants did his bidding, which taught 
him to command. To improve his faculty of observation, 
to give his education a finish, to give him a lofty mien 
among men, parental fondness sent him on a tour of for- 
eign travel. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 391 

A person thus nurtured and trained becomes effeminate, 
indolent, luxurious, and selfish. This class, not knowing 
how to labor, when they are made statesmen will make the 
laws so that they need not work. That legislators get bribes 
is well known. Lobbyists have received $20,000 for get- 
ting bills through legislatures. If a man applies for a bank 
charter, or a life and fire insurance permit, he gets a mine 
of wealth. The member who gets these granted by the 
legislature receives a reward of him who is the recipient of 
these privileges. Hence it is often said that legislators make 
fortunes. 

The Romans erected a temple of honor, and those who 
trod its courts were pure and unsullied. If this luxurious 
man, whom we have described, should present himself at the 
door of the temple, this conversation might ensue with the 
door-keeper: 

"Upon what do you base your right to tread these courts?" 

'*I have got the learning of the colleges." 

^'How do you spend your time?" 

'^After I rise in the morning I go into the grottoes and in- 
hale the perfume of the flowers. I also go into the grap- 
ery and eat grapes." 

^^Do you not know that the laborer goes forth to till the 
soil ; he returns in the evening with aching bones, and without 
his labor you will soon perish ? Why do you not assist him ? " 

"A4y education forbids it." 

*'''The laborers strangely believe that legislatures can shor- 
ten the hours of labor; your reason teaches you that if you 
assist them it will shorten their laboring hours." 

"I do head work." 

'^Your head work makes some people slaves ; do you not 
see some part of the female community poor and thinly clad, 
whilst another part are richly and gorgeously clothed, the 



392 The Laborer; 

fashion of which is often grotesque, wavy, inordinate in 
quantity and length, dragging over the walks, gathering up 
brush, cabbage leaves, cigar stumps, etc ? Have you ever 
expostulated with the vain female, who shows her want of 
humanity and sense, by covering her person with spangles, 
ribbons, tags, and feathers, and shown how absurd it was to 
follow the frivolous fashions when so many can be made 
happy by the excess of labor they demand and consume ? "* 

^^NoV' 

'^ Then the gates of the temple of honor are closed against 
you. Its courts are easy of access. Have only a few hab- 
its, and supply them with the labor of your own hands. In 
this temple is the door of the temple of fame, and in it are 
some vacant niches ; you can get one if you will vindicate 
the laborer's cause. How painful is the thought that he who 
performs the hardest toil gets the poorest pay ! It is time he 
should have more of the comforts of life. Teach him that 
it is not paper or gold money that will benefit him, but uni- 
versal labor at something useful." 

Says the Commercial: "Dr. Price, Abbe Mably, and M. 
Turgot gave the framers of this government some good ad- 
vice." It is a source of sorrow it has not been observed. 
These men, judging from their acts, believed they had no 
moral right to riches. Abbe Mably was born in 1 709. He 
displayed sound moral principles, and a regard for the good 
of mankind. He was fond of applying ancient, political 
maxims to modern States, which gave great offense. 

Jaques Robert Turgot was born in Paris, in 1727, and 

■^Chaucer, in his "Persone's Tale," has some keen satire on woman's dress. 
** The cost of embroidering, endenting, ounding, paling, bending, and cost- 
lewe furring on the gounes, their moche superfluitee in length, trailing in the 
dong and myre, wastes, consumes, wears threadbare and are rotton with dirt, 
all to the damage of the poor folk who might be clothed out of the flounces 
and draggle-tailes of these children of vanitee." — In the time of Richard 11. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 393 

died in 1781. When a boy, he determined to sacrifice all 
advantages to liberty and conscience. He wrote on the 
goodness of religion for mankind. He was a disciple of 
Quesnay,* the head of a political secfcalled ^^Economists."' 
In 1 76 1, he was appointed Intendant of Liomoges. He was 
made Comptroller of the finances in 1774. In a time of 
scarcity he distributed food, and introduced the cultivation 
of potatoes. He made new roads without burdening the 
people, establis-hed charitable workshops, opened schools of 
instruction for womea in the art of midwifery, moderated 
the duties on articles of first necessity, freed commerce of 
its fetters, enlarging the rights of men to follow industry, 
abated the rigor of direct imposition on the profits of con- 
tributors, and promoted an equal distribution of the taxes. 
He made salt free, reformed the royal household, and made 
many reforms in political economy. 

His plans were turned into ridicule, by making little snuff- 
boxes, and calling them ^'Turgentines." The good Louis 
said of him: '^No one loves the people but M. Turgot 
and I." La Harpe says of him : ^' He was a man of strong 
mind ; nothing could divert him from doing justice. He 
had only two passions, science and public good." During 
the few years he was occupied as minister of finance, he 
bent all his views to the relief of the people. Attached to 
the doctrines of the Economists,f he developed them in 
edicts that tended to their encouragement and improvement. 

^ Francis Quesnay, physician of Louis XV, taught that only those who 
cultivate the earth, or otherwise bring into use the natural powers of the min- 
eral, animal, and vegetable kingdom, can be regarded as really increasing the 
wealth of the community. 

f Those who analyzed the frame of civil society, gathered light from those 
who lived before them, and tried to form a more liberal social system than 
those that were known. One of them, M, De Gournay, attacked a system 
which compelled a man to get a privilege to sell a commodity. 



394 The Laborer; 

He changed acts of sovereign authority into works of rea- 
soning and persuasion. His reforms created him many ene- 
mies. He lies under the stigma of promoting the French 
Revolution, and he is charged with making innovations in 
favor of the people. He died at forty-nine. 

Dr. Price, a Welsh Protestant minister, was born in 
1728, and died in 1791. In 1785, he gave to the world 
^'Observations on the American Revolution, and the means 
of making it useful to the world." He gave us plans how 
to pay the national debt, to preserve and perpetuate this na- 
tion. He showed that absence irom foreign commerce would 
make us virtuous and happy. He said: ''No man can be 
raised to an elevation above others without danger. They 
who trust their rights to others trust to enemies." 

After a lapse of ninety years, this people have degener- 
ated, and we can not now be called a free nation. The revo- 
lutionary sires would not pay to Britain threepence a pound 
duty on tea, or use their stamped paper. The usages of our 
society are so contrived that millions can live and not work 
at any thing useful, and become very rich. Jay Cooke 
is supposed to be worth $10,000,000; William B. Astor, 
^60,000,000; Com. Vanderbilt, $50,000,000 ; Dan. DreWj 
$15,000,000. The interest on these sums is $10,000,000, 
and will keep from useful labors 25,000 persons. This 
is only a small part of those who live on the labor of others 
who obtain it without reflection on the part of those who 
create it. These distinctions were introduced in this way : 
Our fathers were a plain people, and were content with the 
productions of home. Franklin's wife used to boil his milk, 
and pour it on bread for his breakfast. Merchants have 
taken away cloth, blankets, leather, etc., and exchanged 
them for tea leaves, which are re-sold to the poor, who are 
injured by this exchange. Were this to cease blankets and 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 395 

clothing would be more abundant among us. The Pacific 
Railroad is an example of what Mr. Price said, to prove the 
danger to us in delegating civil power to others. Our re- 
presentatives have given away to a company of men land 
sufficient to make four States as large as South Carolina, 
which contains 19,000,000 of acres. This transaction, in 
the future, will make hundreds of thousands of Americans 
slaves. The ''^N. Y. Ledger" says ^'' the Pacific Rail- 
road will make such private fortunes as the world never 
saw." James Rothschild died, in 1868, worth $400,000,000. 
This sum will find homes, implements, and land sufficient 
for 40,000 families. This paper means the time may come 
when some men will have the maintenance of eighty, per- 
haps 100,000 families. The benefits of this road are to 
him who works doubtful. It is not improbable we pay for 
what China sells us $100^000,000 worth of our most use- 
ful goods. $150,000,000 of products will go over this road 
to buy gold. These two amounts, if saved, will give half 
of our people, who are without homes, at the end of ten 
years, a home worth $850. This calculation supposes the 
nation to number 6,000,000 families, and that five persons 
form a family. These two sums are a year's traffic. 

This road will introduce luxury, the desire to be covered 
with laces, ribbons, and fine cloths, Near the city of New 
York a farmer gets a dollar for a bushel of corn. The far- 
mer on the Pacific road will sell five bushels of corn for a 
dollar. When this distant farmer spends his dollar, he can 
not get as much for it as the New York farmer. It is the 
duty of every one to obtain all the comfort he can in ex- 
change for his labor. Hence it is the duty of poorly-paid 
mechanics to go among the distant farmers and exercise his 
trade where provisions are cheap, where his labor will sell 
for a higher value. It is not the duty of either of these two 



396 The Laborer; 

classes to give any part of their earnings to enrich railroad 
men who live in magnificent style. These wealthy railroad 
owners were once merchants, became land speculators, and 
issuers of paper money. If the laborers will sweep the mer- 
chants away, they will become the owners of railroads. 

Were the cost of the Pacific Railroad spent along its 
route in all kinds of manufactories, the people would be- 
come rich and happy. This merchants will prevent, as it 
will send them to the plow and workshop. 

Merchants have a way of taking the subsistence of our 
people to Europe and exchanging it for trifles, to the injury 
of the poor of those countries, who, to make silks, laces, and 
fine shawls cheap, must live and work in cellars and attics. 
Says a Commissioner: "Their chambers look like caves, 
in which the air is never renewed. The poor man is in 
rags, his children are lean and puny, with emaciated limbs, 
ulcerated fingers, and crooked, softened bones." The di- 
rector of the Prussian king's factories, M. Mayet, in i 796, 
said: *''The cessation of work causes some to steal, others 
to emigrate. Their vices are the offspring of others' lux- 
ury, which are produced by some acquiring riches. Work- 
men must not be suffered to enrich themselves. In becom- 
ing so he is difficult and exacting, enters into combinations, 
imposes laws, and becomes dissipated. The rich stuffs he 
makes should be watered with his tears." Were Ameri- 
cans to do without foreign goods, their makers would emi- 
grate to other lands — to cultivate them. 

John Adams took great offense at the advice and plain- 
ness of Mably, Price, and Turgot. He wrote as a reply, 
''The Defense of the State Constitutions." M. Turgot 
said: ''The Americans have imitated the English Govern- 
ment without any motives." Mr. Adams wrote more than 
1,500 pages showing that mankind should be governed by the 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 397 

superior classes. He wrote in favor of three powers ruling 
this people : a Governor, Senate, and House of Represen- 
tatives. The Senate were ^'to be rich and high born," so 
that they could protect their property from the aggressive 
poor. The House of Representatives was to be composed of 
the poor, who would be a check on the oppressiveness of 
the rich. It is a beautiful fiction, two houses a check on 
each other. Both are rich now and plunder toiling men. 

Mr. Adams said: "They [the rich] have rights as well as the others. They 
have as clear and sacred rights to their large possessions as others have to theirs, 
which are smaller. Oppression is to them as possible, and as wicked as to 
others. The rich, therefore, ought to have as an effectual barrier in the con- 
Btitution against being robbed as the poor.** 

This acknowledges that the rich are not just to laboring 
men. That we have degenerated from happiness, virtue, 
and freedom, may be inferred by reading Mrs. Grant's book 
on America in 1760: *' Every one in town or country had 
a garden, with all kinds of vegetables. After it was dug no 
man intruded. I have often seen a minister's wife with a 
basket of seeds and a rake over her shoulder. A woman 
in easy circumstances would plant, sow, and rake. 

" Each family had a cow. Nothing could be more pleas- 
ing to a benevolent mind than to see the inhabitants of a 
town containing not one very poor or very rich, very igno- 
rant or very knowing, very rude or very polished individ- 
ual ; to see all these children of nature enjoying themselves 
in easy indolence, or social intercourse. 

'••Fraud and avarice are the vices of society, and do not 
thrive in the forest." 

Mr.Winterbottom, in his '' History of America," printed 

in 1797, says much on the happy condition of the people. 

The Americans should feel shame at having lost so much 

liberty, which comes from delegating political power to men 
00 



398 The Laborer; 

of wealth. In Vol. Ill is this : "The American States fur- 
nish a smaller proportion of rich and poor than any other dis- 
trict in the known world. In Connecticut the distribution 
of wealth is more equal than elsewhere, and will apply to 
all New England. The great body of the land-holders are 
cultivators of the soil. They are removed from temptations 
of luxury. Their industry and frugality exempt them from 
want. The people of New England obtain their estates by 
hard labor, and none are better furnished with the conven- 
iences of life. Idleness with those of independent fortune 
is disreputable." 

The writer has read much to find out if any crime ex- 
isted in the beginning of this nation. Mr.Winterbottom tells 
us, in 1792, Boston had seventy-seven convicts making nails, 
on a small island guarded by sixty soldiers. This city then 
contained 35,000 persons. New York City had a greater 
proportion of bad people than this. It was caused by this: 
" The Governors of this [N. Y.] State were many of them 
land-jobbers, bent on making their fortunes ; and being in- 
vested with power, they engrossed for themselves, or pa- 
tented away to their favorites, a great part of this province. 
The genius of this State still favors large monopolies of 
land.' ' — Winterhottom . 

This same author tells us: '*• That young people marry 
early without obstacles, and are not tempted to dishonor 
themselves. Disgusting disease was almost unknown be- 
fore the Revolution. Foreign armies naturalized it. * * *A 
grandmother at twenty-seven is often seen. 

'*• Georgia gave away her land on condition of cultivation, 
residence, and defense. When the male line expired, the 
land was to go back to the government, so as to prevent one 
person having more land than another. This was null and 
void if it did not make the female heir's possession too large. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 399 

^^In Kentucky, in 1780, if a man staid a year in that 
State, and raised a crop of corn in it, he was entitled to 400 
acres of land. In this State towns were laid out, the min- 
ister, schoolmaster, tavern-keeper, and magistrate had each 
a building lot given them. Judges and Congressmen had 
more than one given them." 

Why should social distinctions exist in human life ? Is 
not the laborer who prepares the fuel to keep us warm, the 
bricks and mortar that constructs the home which shelters 
us from the pitiless storm, as good as they are, and just as 
useful ? Is not the mechanic who makes the leather that 
protects the feet, and he who makes the clothing that keeps 
us warm, entitled to lots as well as Judges and Congressmen 
who corrupt human society, and live by its corruptions."^ 

^^John Locke was forced by the proprietors of Carolina 
to make them a government. He gave to each county a 
landgrave and two caciques, who could only own two-fifths 
of it. The three-fifths were to belong to the people. Vir- 
ginia gave to settlers 1,000 acres, who were to pay a penny 
an acre rent." — Winterhottom s American History. 

* Hon. B. F. Wade seems to be an exception. These are his sayings : " That 
system of labor which degrades the poor man and elevates the rich ; which drags 
the very soul out of him for a pitiful existence, is wrong. We must elevate the 
laborer and give him a share in the proceeds of his labor. The shadow of a 
great struggle is upon us, and we must meet it. There is a deep discontent, 
a feverish excitement, a restlessness with their lot among the poorer classes we 
can not disregard. The people want more recreation, enjoyment, and relief 
from their monotonous, half-starved condition, and they will have it." 

This philanthropist made attacks on slavery, when our religious people 
were dormant. He battled with prejudice in high places, and made a part of 
the colored people of the District of Columbia men — by obtaining for them 
the privilege of voting. He caused laws to be made that the wild lands should 
be free to those who would settle them. This he might have done sooner had 
he not been surrounded with Southern Senators, whose rule of action was to 
suppress all plans that would ameliorate the condition of Northern laborers, 
because the contrast with their slaves would be too great. 



400 The Laborer; 

If this author could collect this information, so could the 
Fathers of this nation do the same. Their conscience and 
reason should have taught them that they should have given 
building lots to mechanics, and limited farms to laborers. 
The Fathers seemed to think that the toiling part of com- 
munity should pay the nation's expenses. To illustrate this : 
The Fathers gave i6o acres of land to a church, if the mem- 
bers should rent this land and pay the pastor his salary out 
of these rents. Where is the justice in making a few tenants 
pay for the preaching that many enjoy? To a school dis- 
trict is given i6o acres, and it is sold to two persons for 
$i,6oo. This sum, when at interest, will pay the teacher. 
Why should injustice be practiced on these two men, and 
they paying the teacher's salary exempting the parents who 
get the benefits, and are able to pay the teacher. The Rev- 
olution benefited all, who should equally pay its expenses. 
To make laborers pay for land was unjust. The unculti- 
vated land is God's gift to man, and no body of men have 
the right to sell lands, on which there has been no human 
labor, nor has any one a right to more than he can cultivate. 
Selling the wild lands to pay for past wars to exempt ^Hhe 
rich and well-born" from taxation, has filled this country 
with woe and crimes. 

John Adams, in his ^^Defense," says: ^^ The people of 
Bilboa [in Italy] arose and killed the officers appointed to 
collect the duty on salt. They defeated 3,000 soldiers sent 
against them, and drove them into the sea. 

••Tn the Swiss republic of Grisons, the inhabitants live to- 
gether in a perfect equality, exempt from the refinements 
of luxury. There are none so rich as to gain an ascendency. 
There are noble families who live by cultivating the earth.'* 

Mr. Adams gives us a sketch of more than fifty republics 
and states, which he thought were not suitable for us to 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 401 

imitate. He also wrote much to ridicule the opinions of 
Plato, Milton, Sidney, Locke, and Franklin, who thought 
men would be happier without cumbersome governments. 
John Adams while in England, from 1784 to 1787, wrote 
to prove that we needed such a government as now exists, 
which has brought this people from innocence to crime, 
from a period when all had homes, to now when half of the 
nation have none. It has introduced crime and a state of 
insecurity that is alarming. It was not so once. The Mar- 
quis Beccaria, a French political writer, in his book, says: 
'*• Criminals in the English colonies become honest people. 
We are astonished at the change, yet nothing can be more 
natural. The condemned are forced to continued labor ; 
opportunities to vice are wanting. They marry and multiply. 
Oblige men to work, and you make them honest." 

John Adams and his friends got plenty of land, and the in- 
stitutions of the nation were so framed that the people would 
be poor and work their land. The first method was to de- 
stroy ^-'The Penn. Loan Office," where poor men could 
borrow money to begin farming with on land rented at one 
cent per acre. The second method was to cause them to 
buy land of a speculator at a high rate. 

The theory of government is, men wanting happiness 
must find it in society, useful industry, and assisting each 
other. At a public meeting, one says: If we build a rail- 
road to the coal-mines it will save our time. A majority vot- 
ing for it, the expense is met by the people pledging their 
property to the State for the money, or it can be built by an 
annual contribution for ten years. Suppose a tribe, num- 
bering thirty, want to have a war. They debate and con- 
clude that seven soldiers can be fed, clothed, and equipped, 
out of their number. 

One says I will lend to you the money. After awhile a 



402 The Laborer; 

thinking mind sees that it is unnecessary to keep a pa^er 
money lender. This little community, by making its own 
paper money, will compel the lender to become a soldier or 
a producer. This applies to 30,000,000. Future genera- 
tions can not give back this generation the food and clothes 
which they have paid to soldiers. It is very simple to give 
the cost of the war, two or three times over, in the form 
of interest, with the hope of getting in the future that which 
has been spent in the past. It is the duty of a people to 
maintain as many soldiers as they can, and when the war is 
over end the expense. War is one of these occasions that 
enables many to attach themselves to society, and obtain a 
permanent support. 

Senator Chase, at the beginning of the war, found this na- 
tion with a currency of $300,000,000, which he increased 
to $700,000,000. It caused the commodities of life to be 
twice as high. To those who furnished supplies, he paid in 
paper, earning interest. Those who had saved money could 
only purchase half as much as they did. Many statesmen 
are in favor of bringing paper money to the value of gold. 
This will cause misery to those who are in debt. It will take 
more labor to pay the nation's interest. Issuing paper was 
an injury to the working people.* 

If I were to stand on a highway and take ten cents from 
a man I should be punished. If I put a bar across a road, 
and say to a traveler you must pay me ten cents to travel 
on this road, as I built it, the traveler could say, laborers 
built this road, mechanics and farmers clothed and fed them. 
You have only used cunning to obtain this road, which has 
cost you paper money, the making of which did not take a 
day. It is the duty of society to purchase this road by is- 

*The writer believes this nation's debts should be paid as agreed on. Taxes 
might have supplied the soldier's wants. The debt is a scheme to live easily. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 403 

suing paper money and ofFerlng it to the unnatural owner for 
it. This money will buy him farms and tools, then he can 
go to work like the rest of mankind. Working people do 
themselves an injustice to allow others to live in idleness 
from the profits of the roads and bridges. The pike be- 
tween Piqua and Troy, O., receives one-third of its value 
annually in tolls. The American people are getting to be 
numerous, and it is just that these tolls should be theirs. 

Society saves a fourth of its time having money. The is- 
sues of money from a State would give us a currency. A 
good man never seeks an office. A farmer, having always 
good crops, well-fed cattle, obedient, well-behaved children, 
neatness on his farm, not overrun with weeds, one not given 
to kid gloves or fashionable clothing, who speaks kindly to 
his neighbor, and assists the orphans — such a one will be 
a good public officer. Having learned to live from the soil, 
he will not favor paper or credit schemes that will make 
coats, hats, shoes, food, etc., twice the value of the usual 
price, and then buy large quantities of them on credit for 
the use of soldiers, which are to be paid for by future gen- 
erations. Common minds know these things are in the 
country, and that the tax-gatherer can collect the money to 
purchase them, and that the operation can be renewed till 
the war is ended. The mind of such a man can not see, 
after feeding and clothing a number of soldiers, how the 
cost is to be got back again twenty or thirty years from now, 
and we still keep on feeding and clothing a number of per- 
sons. When a person fills an office well, and is not given 
to peculation, how absurd it is to remove him. 

There are a number of persons who meet to discuss 
'^ Social Science ;" this may give them some light. In the 
beginning of this century. Botany Bay had 5,000 criminals. 
To reform them, they were set to work on public fountains, 



404 The Laborer; 

making fine columns for public buildings, and to work on 
the governor's stables. In addition to this, add the mainten- 
ance of ladies learning Latin, in cells with carpeted floors 
and papered walls, officers of government, policemen with 
clubs, professors of colleges, and other persons too numer- 
ous to mention, and you make them poor, abject, and envi- 
ous. One inquires. Why am I made to differ from others? 
Why are others fed on turkeys, eggs, and fowls, while I am 
in rags, and have the coarsest fare ? * To get the superflui- 
ties of Hfe, I will not trample on others ! To gain riches, I 
will not push others down ! I will try and bear my bur- 
dens ! Society has made me what I am ! f 

It must be self-evident if you relieve the poor convicts of 
these burdens, you make them virtuous and happy. The 
more you pile scholars, philosophers, statesmen, and others 
on toiling men, the more hungry, vicious, and ignorant they 
become. It is the duty of all to spend a part of their time 
in the field and shop. The people of Acadia and uncivil- 
ized Paraguay show us that security, order, and virtue can 
be attained without our usages. A display of virtue like this 
can never happen in highly civilized countries. Columbus 
writes to his king and queen thus: "When the Pinto was 
wrecked, the natives swam about and collected every thing 
on the beach. The property could not have been better 
taken care of in Spain. Nothing was ^toX^n^ -JVinterhottom. 

A great source of intemperance is from the idle sons of 
rich men, who, having no occupation, learn habits of dissipa- 
tion. Many, who work, having poor homes, are attracted 

Bishop Potter, in his "Arts and Sciences," tells us that sawdust can be 
made into palatable puddings. — Harper's Family Library. 

•j- Bishop Potter, in his " Political Economy," gives us the Chaplain's 
** Report of the Conn. State Prison." "Thieves and robbers attempt to jus- 
tify their course, on the ground that one man has no right to hold property 
, more than another, and they take from the rich only." 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 405 

to the gay drinking saloons. It is not improbable that this 
nation spends annually $300,000,000 on tobacco and strong 
drink, which in ten years will buy every five persons a good 
house having four rooms. A mechanic, when buying a 
drink, saw an open door, and heard a female voice, saying : 
"Where did you get this fine furniture?" The reply was : 
''The fool's pence bought it." The man repented? Dur- 
ing a rain-shower a woman took refuge in his house, and 
said : "I know you, sir: where did you get your fine fur- 
niture?" He replied: ''The fool's pence bought it." He 
told her what she had said, and its effect. 

A tobacco-using and liquor-drinking person can cure his 
faults by visiting "The Children's Home" or an "Asylum 
for Orphans," and see good women clothing and feeding 
poor outcasts. The effect will be — money foolishly spent 
will be used doing good. Another method to cure an afllicted 
drinking man is to try and send a poor boy to an industrial 
school. This will give him a sincere mourner at his grave, 
who will inscribe on his tombstone this affectionate record. 

Mr. MADE ME A GOOD AND USEFUL MAN. 

If a person persists in smoking and drinking, he is liable 
to be poor, to be put in a mean coffin, and carried to his 
grave in an express wagon as if he was a brute. 

To escape the miseries of war caused some pious men to 
go to new countries to create homes. They were very sys- 
tematic, as will be seen by this account: 

They were governed by abbots and priors^ who had charge 
of the abbey. The next officer was the almoner^ who distri- 
buted alms at the gate for the poor, and gave home relief. 

The sacrist took care of the communion vessels, provided 
the bread and wine, kept the altar-cloths clean, furnished 
wax-candles, and rung the bell at service and burials. 



4o6 The Laborer; 

The chamberlain had the care of the dormitory, and the 
providing of beds, razors, scissors, towels, clothes, and shoes 
for the monks, and tools for shoeing the abbot's horses. 

The cellarer provided flesh, fish, fowl, wine, wheat, fire 
wood, malt, and kitchen utensils for monks and visitors. 

The hospitaller^ gave entertainment to guests and travel- 
lers. He was to have beds, seats, tables, napkins, basins, 
plates, and spoons for the guests, and bring them food. 

The master of the infirmary took care of the aged and sick, 
and prepared food and comfort for their infirm condition. 

The head-chanter had the care of the choir service, the 
organist, and chorister, and provided them with books. He 
had charge of the abbey-seal, chapter-book, records of the 
public business, and furnished parchment, pens and ink for 
the writers, and colors for the painters of missals. 

The rules of St. Benedict directed that six hours daily 
were to be given to manual labor in shops in the monastery. 
Some were tailors, shoemakers, jewelers, cabinet-makers, 
book-binders, sculptors, carvers, painters, and writers. 

The cursitor^s business was to visit the shops, and notice 
who were absent, idle, and talking. It was his duty to go 
about during prayers and see that none were asleep. 

Institutions like these were wanted to refine and teach 
mdustry to the rude Saxons. They accomplished this, and 
became corrupt. These monks got the greatest part of the 
land as gifts. They contrived to have the abbey on a run- 
ning stream, so as to have a mill. The garden and bake- 
house were on the place, so as not to go abroad for supplies. 
This made them rich. Then their labor was done by serv- 
ants. WiclifF brought some charges against them. His opin- 
ions became universal, and these institutions were absorbed 
by the men of wealth, who set the poor man to work for 
their benefit. A change is coming that will help the poor. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 407 

The farmers and mechanics create a pile of food and use- 
ful things, annually, amounting to $3,000,000,000. These 
various classes of consumers destroy the greatest quantity. 

Lawyers, physicians, and clergymen $83,000,000. 

Merchants and clerks 73,000,000. 

National and State governments 700,000,000. 

Those who insure lives and houses 30,000,000. 

Tea makers and gold seekers 200,000,000. 

Cost of tobacco and drinking 300,000,000. 

Earnings of railroads, bridges, and pikes 100,000,000. 

Interest paid on railroad and private debts 100,000,000. 

House rents from 3,000,000 of families 90,000,000. 

Profits to bankers and brokers 25,000,000. 

Amount consumed by non-producers $1,701,000,000. 

In our Senate it was said: "Your manual laborers are 
but slaves *, and if they knew their power, your government 
would be reconstructed." Laborers working for a rich man 
give him an easy abundance. Were they philosophers, they 
would say: ^^-We want not your money ! Go work, add to a 
world's wealth ! " To make a store front a mass of statues, 
eyeless faces, and fine stone-carvings, in which to put our 
hats and shoes, is unnecessary and wasted labor : 

Pious '''Aunt Effie" expected to die with hunger. "The 
Shepherd of the Plain," for his Sunday dinner had potatoes 
and salt. The family, in the "First of the Week," were 
thankful for gravy on their Sunday food. The meat was 
eaten next day. On Wednesday the bones were stewed. 
The diet, the rest of the week,was bread and potatoes. "The 
Happy Waterman" was a frugal Christian, which enabled 
him to buy a boat, and comforts for home. This was taken 
as evidence that he had found a lost purse of gold. It cost 
him much to get acquitted. These sorrowful tales, and oth- 
ers, are found in a Methodist book-store in this citv, which 
is as beautiful as can be seen anvwhere. The two entrances 



4o8 - The Laborer; 

are arched. The window top is a quarter of a circle in each 
corner, joined by a straight line. Six delicate columns, with 
foliated capitals ornament the doors. On the arches are ob- 
lique openings, and carved leaves and scrolls. The upper 
windows are columned in the corners. The highest win- 
dows have between them as brackets a smiling female face, 
and two male faces with sheep's horns. The cornice has 
four gargoyle likenesses in it. The imposing cornice has on 
it two large globes. Poverty comes from ill-spent labor. 

A book printer sets up ^^ Notes on the Revelations," or 
'''On the Infallibility of the Pope." He then has to wait 
till another work comes in, which is " The Prairie Boy," or 
•^^ The Fisherman's Son." While waiting for work, the prin- 
ter often loses six months in the year. There are so many 
new titled books made in a year, that their names can not be 
read or rememberedc This printer is an involuntary idler. 

Laborers would be happier if they would leave those, who 
draw such large supplies of their toil for frivolous uses, and go 
into the wilderness and found new homes. Skilled laborers, 
by exchanging labor, can have, in two years, houses and mills 
to make life happy. They need not labor more than four 
hours in a day, and live free from painful fears and cares. 

The earth has an abundance. Labor has multiplied forty 
times by machinery since we have become a nation. Most 
of our people are poor. We are further from freedom now 
after a national existence of a century. The cause is dele- 
gating power to rich men, who use it to benefit themselves. 




CHAPTER XVIIL 



CONCLUSION. 



A Washington Letter — The Pacific Railroad a Means of acquiring 
Territory without War — How the King of Prussia obtained Reve- 
nue FROM A Canal — General Dearborn's Testimony on Merchants. 

** Love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with thy God.'* — Bible Precept. 




OMMON sense should be the guide of the laborer 
on the subject of political economy. The political 
economists, whose books are used in the colleges, 
mislead the laboring men so as to have ease. They flatter the 
follies of the rich, that they may gain their money. States- 
men at Washington will not ameliorate the laborer's condi- 
tion, as it would doom them to toil, and put an end to the 
extravagant dressing, feasts, and parties of their wives and 
daughters. If you remonstrate with these people on the 
sin of destroying what has cost so much toil, they will tell 
you it is good for trade, it gives work to mechanics. If you 
tell them it is cruel to keep servants so long on their feet, to 
wait on them and prepare their food, it will awaken no pite- 
ous feelings, or a desire to share their toils. 

A Washington letter tells us of a poor boy in its jail, who 
writes to his sister thus: "^'I have a nice, warm room, good 
bed, and plenty to eat. I believe I will be sent to the peni- 
tentiary, where I will be clothed, fed, and taught a trade, 
and be able to obtain my living.' His companions in the 
street shouted to him, and hoped soon to be with him. 

. 40Q 



410 The Laborer; 

'^How many of these rogues in punishing do we make? 
The rich grow richer, and the poor poorer. What will be 
our proportion after a time? What are the terrors of the 
penitentiary to a half-starved boy ? 

^'I think we have succeeded in catching the most harm- 
less of our criminals; the weak alone are detected. The 
cold, cautious, calculating scoundrel goes unpunished. On 
the floor of the Senate or House note the faces of the men 
who have stolen their thousands^ and see their clear, intellect- 
ual countenances. These are the larger and more danger- 
ous rogues, who have not only escaped conviction, but are 
honored among men. They move in the best society, their 
wives are admired, and daughters sought after."* 

This will ever be the condition of society while the men 
of wealth make the laws. The laborers should leave their 
farms and shops, to attend primary meetings, and send to 
rule their own classes, those who are free from selfishness 
and avarice. All power only should be vested in those who 
toil ; without their labor we would all soon perish. A good 
man will resolve not to be rich. He will labor with his own 
hands, and will tell, if he knows, what is the cost price of 
goods. He wants no profits, and will invite others to be- 
come his partners. A man, to be rich, is evidence that he is 
wanting in benevolence, and is not fit to make laws. To 
prove which, take the example of a man in Illinois, who owns 
40,000 acres, or eight miles square, which are cultivated 
by 3,500 persons. He is richer than all of them. 

Our rulers knew that conquest is attended with danger, 
and that legislation is the same as conquest. For instance, 
beyond Missouri are large tracts of land, stretching to the 
Pacific Ocean, which, at the proper time, would have been 
filled with a laboring people, who would rely upon their own 

* Cincinnati Commercial, January 29, 1869. 



A Remedy eor his Wrongs. 411 

resources; they would surround themselves with all kinds of 
factories, and be strangers to luxury, having ease and leisure. 
Our rulers wish to make the people slaves, the victims of 
merchants, and a prey to land speculators. This was done 
by making a decree, that an area equal to three times Great 
Britain shall belong to a few, who shall build a railroad to 
the Pacific. These share the plunder with the rulers^ and 
will be a means of gaining enormous tribute out of the set- 
tlers. The design is to compel them to send wool and get 
clothing from a distance. 

Once the king of Prussia built a canal at the State's ex- 
pense, and rented it to the highest bidder. If the people 
will use the herb which East India merchants introduced 
among us, it would have been wise had Congress printed 
$100,000,000, which would have cost $200,000, and built 
the road, and then rented it to the highest bidder every ten 
years ; it would give an increasing revenue. Franklin said : 
^' Silks and satins put out the kitchen fires. Tea can not 
be called a necessary. Were all men scholars, we would 
want bread." 

A fearful retribution seems to overtake traders. Gen. 
Dearborn, a collector of the port of Boston, said : '-*' He was 
satisfied that, among 100 merchants, not more than three 
ever attained independence.'' This is the testimony of 
others. Woes are pronounced against riches in the world 
to come. 

John Adams kept an account how he spent his time from 
1763 to 1795. This is an entry : '' This day my men have 
made hay, and I have read Plutarch." Would it not have 
been more humane if he had said, I have this day made my 
hay, and read Plutarch in the evening? It would have re- 
lieved his drudges, who would have had an opportunity to 
obtain some learning also. How natural it was for Messrs. 



412 The Laborer; 

Adams, Hamilton, and Morris, when sent to frame the 
usages of society, so to do it that they could have easy lives. 

To society belongs the roads and bridges. Private indi- 
viduals owning these have obtained them through the base- 
ness of rulers. Common roads in England are owned by 
the community, and their earnings are devoted to keeping 
the poor. A king does not like to hear the murmurings of 
his people. He contrives to have as few as possible to eat 
up his people's subsistence. The Prussian king wears his 
coat so long, it would not sell for a dollar. He is frugal, to 
save his people from being absorbed by other nations. 

In republics are many tyrants, who fatten on the people, 
eat up their food, and consume their clothing. Their plan 
is to fill an office, make all they can, and retire at the end 
of two or four years. Americans would be very wise if 
they would keep the revenue and post-officers in their places 
for life,, if honest. It is so in England, where losses are 
rare. The king's courier was solicited to take private mes- 
sages with his king's, which was the means of a post-office 
being owned by a nation. Congressmen send their clothes, 
and even bags of potatoes to their homes, which is a cause 
why the post-office is deficient in means to pay expenses. 

A great source of revenue to rulers is to receive bribes 
from those to whom they grant privileges, such as bankers, 
life-insurers, and others. The time was when men went 
about telling fortunes, practicing palmistry, or telling where 
gold was hidden. These have taken to life-insurance, with 
permission of *''the collected wisdom of the nation," caus- 
ing men, in this case as in the others, to live without doing 
any thing of utility. Says a Massachusetts Report, by John 
E. Sanford: ^^ There are in this State, in 1867, forty-seven 
life-insurance companies. The number of policies issued, 
in fourteen months, was 145,000, and the amount insured 




This well-clad man is setting this poor feeble, boy to sweeping before his man- 
sion to pay for his new broom. It is self-evident, if this boy's father was a builder 
on this stone-paneled, and finely-carved building, he would be poor, and leave his 
children bitter poverty. Reflection should teach laboring people tliat the division 
of society into poor and rich classes is oppression, and should cease. In becoming 
civilized we have forsaken the plain patn of nature. Many of the pursuits of civ- 
ilization are as uncertain as those of the savage, to yield food and clothing. The 
remedy is, each one should labor for himself, at something useful, and exchange 
equally and directly with other useful laborers. This ends the laborer's wrongs. 

3 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 413 

for was $420,000,000. The number of policies dropped 
for want of persistency was 40,000, which called for the sum 
of $100,000,000. To satisfy the claims of those who 
were bereaved $9,000,000 was paid. Twenty-seven insur- 
ance companies had a surplus of $7^595, 675. The sum 
paid to the companies during the year, was $62,000,000, 
and it was paid by 430,000 policy holders, to whose friends 
the companies owe $1,200,000,000."^ 

These facts may be made out of this report, for every 
eighteen dollars paid out, fifteen accumulates in the treas- 
uries, and their accumulations are $100,000,000. The great 
States of New York and Pennsylvania also insure as much 
as Massachusetts, and it is not improbable that their gains 
are the same, which will hire 54,000 laborers, whose pro- 
ductive powers, with machinery on good farms, will main- 
tain 3,000,000 of persons. 

This nation has machinery equal to 150,000,000 of peo- 
ple. Every one has working for him five inanimate slaves, 
fed with fire, that want no food or clothes. Modern sci- 
ence and skill has taught us to make the earth yield twice as 
much as it did fifty years ago. Why do fathers resort to 
life-insurance companies to provide for their children ? The 
money thus acquired may be lost in business or soon spent, 
then there has to be a return to toil at last, which finds the 
person unskilled, unused to labor, with perhaps, no strength. 
Parents should very early inure their children to plainness 
in dress and diet, to toil and discipline. Children, strangers 
to costly food and apparel, will not wish for them, and, being 
taught industry, will not be feeble and helpless. One who 
insures lives is a person who is determined to get the products 

* Let no one accuse me of wanting human feelings, because I attack these 
institutions. The ruler of the Universe has done his part well in giving us a 
beautiful earth to cultivate, and we suffer refusing to do it. 

36 



414 The Laborer; 

of others without giving any hard labor for them. He is 
one who gets as much as he can for as Httle as he can. 

The shoemakers of this city [Cincinnati] have had their 
wages increased by a strike, which will be the means of in- 
creasing the difficulties of the other laborers, to purchase 
their shoes. If these, in retaliation, increase their wages, 
the shoemakers will have gained nothing. For many gen- 
erations strikes have been made without any benefit. 

If the shoemakers were to carry their factory into the 
country, instead of paying $180 rent for four rooms, they 
need only pay $60. Do these shoemakers pay a quarter of 
a dollar a pound for their lard and hams? These, by pre- 
paring and curing for themselves, need only cost one-eight 
of a dollar per pound. A society of shoemakers, purchas- 
ing potatoes at wholesale prices, and distributing them to the 
members, will save a third of the price. Two acres of tile- 
drained soil will give a family of six half their food, and the 
winter's food of a cow and chickens. If the tour de ordure 
be made the receptacle of chips, weeds, ashes, and straw, 
and these put on the acre for the cow, it will make cabbages 
so large that they will be the diameter of a barrel. Of corn, 
125 bushels can be obtained on the acre, sixty of which 
will feed the cow 120 days, and the remainder will fatten 
780 lbs. of pork. There will be a fatted calf to kill. The 
cow will eat up the corn-stalks, beet-tops, cabbage leaves, 
and a load of hay during the winter, and will give a pound 
of butter every day. The milk will make tea not wanted. 

A cow has been taught to drag a plow and rake between 
rows. It helping, the garden can be cultivated very easily in 
one hour each day during the summer. It will do a woman 
no harm to work an hour daily in the garden. Apples are 
$2.25 a bushel, which sum can be saved in a country home. 

The English laborer seems in a fair way of gaining inde- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 415 

pendence. There are 700,000 members belonging to the 
*^ Trades Unions," who have millions in their treasuries. 
In their '•'Benefit Societies" and ''^Savings Banks" they have 
$500,000,000. Many thousands of them are partners with 
their employers. They purchase fat cattle and divide their 
beef. They own mills, buy grain, and have cheap flour. 

The N. Y. Tribune says : '' Within sight of our steeples 
200,000 persons are unemployed." The cause of which is, 
farmers cultivate all they can, make their houses and cloth- 
ing as much as they can by machinery, which makes the la- 
borer unnecessary, and enables them to have for foreign 
lands $400,000,000 worth of their products for luxuries, 
the greatest bulk of which is absorbed by the exchangers? 
"The Agricultural Bureau," in 1866, said: '^The value of 
farm products was $1,563,184,134." 

Mechanics create values to the amount of 1,000,000,000, 
half of which is wasted, or put in the wrong place. To illus- 
trate: A President's inauo;uration is described in a thousand 
little papers around this city. If the "Commercial," "Ga- 
zette," "Times," and "Chronicle," only contained this, it 
could be circulated all over Ohio in twenty-four hours, as 
they have steam-power sufficient to print millions of papers, 
having in them five times more news than a country paper. 
Many will say, How can merchants advertise? Every far- 
mer knows where his store is. It is only necessary to know 
where things are made, who sells them at wholesale, and 
what are their cost, which can be told best in a book. 

We have many encyclopedias on various subjects, many 
books of travels and history, on natural, mental, and moral 
philosophy, and annotations on the Bible, more than we can 
read. Plato's Dissertation on Government seems better for 
the universal happiness of men than Adams' " Defense." 
Plato's cause of crime is as clear as any modern jurist can 



4i6 The Laborer; 

give us. He said: "A youth, having spent his patrimony, 
and knowing no pursuit, resorts to plundering." The Eu- 
ropeon travels of Mrs. Stowe and Mr. Greeley will instruct 
and please for a generation. The sermons of Wesley are 
still able to teach men eternal life. Why should new au- 
thors arise to impoverish themselves and their compositors? 
Printers would like to own embellished homes with carpeted 
floors and frescoed walls. Three-fourths of the printers 
have no homes, nor will this number ever be able to acquire 
any. It is only by going at those pursuits that make the 
home and its inner articles. Were three-quarters of the 
printers to change work, books would be still as cheap and 
abundant. Book-makers in England and America have 
the stereotyped plates of 150,000 books.* 

A selfish man, to gain his neighbor's custom, enriches 
his store front with stone-carved scrolls and leaves^ sur- 
mounts it with pinnacles^ and little gables ending in finials. 
In the center is a canopy over a statue clad in a Roman toga. 
The windows are gothic^ and filled with delicate tracery. Is 
not this wasted labor? Would it not make the outcasts of our 
earth happy to have this for a home, and keep them from 
the haunts of vice ? All this labor is for a temporary resting 
place for our shoes or hats, or something else. 

An agricultural report tells us: ^•' The yearly value of 
the tobacco is $52,000,000." The after-working adds as 
much more. It has been computed that this nation uses 
100,000,000 gallons of whisky in a year. One-fourth of 
this nation are boys under twenty-one; a third of these are 
over fourteen, and number 1,250,000. It will be found by 

*The writing and type-setting on this book has cost me fifteen month's 
time, which would have made me a good furnished home. This labor is sure, 
book making is uncertain. Conscience impelled me to do it, to try and en- 
lighten my fellow toilers. This book contains nine sheets of paper, and they 
are worth eighteen cents. The printing is two cents, and binding twenty-five. 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 



417 



calculation that the amount spent on tobacco, and drinking, 
will give each boy $125, to pay for teaching him handicrafts, 
and how to cultivate land. Users of tobacco and drink, you 
should feel shame wasting so much labor. I asked a man, 
who was polishing a tomb-stone worth $40,000, if he was 
not doing himself an injustice at such labor, which deprived 
him or others of some comforts. He said, "He was paid 
to do it." I told him to trace the source of the pay, and 
he would find it was obtained by oppression, such as buying 
land cheap and selling dear, or in pursuits without labor. 

A beaver gnaws a tree with his teeth, which falls across 
a stream. He makes holes in the bottom ; aided by the 
weight of other beavers, the ends of short logs are sunk in the 
holes, the other ends rest on the fallen tree. Branches and 
mud fill up the crevices. On the top they build their cells. 
The efforts of these industrious animals should put to shame 
the idlers of society, who have abundant implements. 

The Swiss remove the dirt around a tree's roots, and then 
chop them away. Two men turn a cog wheel, which ex- 
tends a cogged beam and pushes it over.^ This way a per- 
son can clear an acre in two months, which has been known 
to yield support to four persons. A person, having a spade 
and a hoe, can, with them, in a single month, obtain food for 
a year. With machinery he can create it in a week, which 
is six bushels of wheat, six of potatoes and three of beans. 
Twenty-five bushels of corn will give a sufliciency of bacon, 
and sixty plenty of milk and butter. Our home machinery 
will enable him to make three suits of clothing in two weeks. 
H. Thoreau, with six weeks' hand laboring, could live a year. 

* I have no faith that I can chop down a tree with horizontal blows. I 
have a strong belief I can strike vertical blows at the roots, and with a rope 
and pullies bring it down. I have known an employer order a workman to 
be turned away for attending an Odd Fellow's funeral. Why are we subject 
to others* scorn when a home can be made so easily.'' Then we ^re independent. 



4i8 The Laborer; 

We owe persons for supplying our nation with war ma- 
terials who never did a day's work in their lives. Our la- 
borers,who made these materials, are supplying the wants of 
those who did no work. An economy of this nation's la- 
bor will cut off these supplies. France, in 1759, had an ex- 
hausted treasury; its minister, M. Silhouette, did not believe 
in borrowing but in taxing. His plans of economy were rid- 
iculed by wearing short coats without sleeves, using wooden 
snuff-boxes to save gold J^j^^ ones, making black faces 
in place of portraits thatB|l||B were formed by throwing 
the shadow of the face on ^HB^ paper, with a candle-light, 
and marking the outlines. ^^^ This likeness, drawn by a 
pivot rod, became A SILHOUETTE. This manner of 
making a picture may have suggested sunlight paintings. 

The labor on gold, tea, tobacco, whisky, beer, and for- 
eign luxuries is annually $650,000,000, which would pay 
our national debt in four years. The users of these articles 
will not give them up. Luxury is nearly as bad as drunken- 
ness. If a person, having no house and garden, uses un- 
necessaries, when loss of employment and sickness comes, 
he often becomes a burden on the saving and industrious. 
Having a war debt gives us a plea to tax luxuries to deaths 
which will relieve our farmers and useful mechanics of half 
their burdens, and add laborers to their number. The peo- 
ple who have suffered so much during the late war should 
be willing to have the State insure property against fire. 
The authorities should issue paper money and purchase the 
principal railroads in New York, Pennsylvania, and New 
Jersey, and devote their revenues, with insurance profits, to 
the principal of the national debt. The reasons for this are, 
it will add to the laborers men to produce the comforts of 
life. Who has the right to live and do no work ? None ! 
These road builders used no real capital, only cunning. La- 



A Remedy for his Wrongs. 419 

borers, who fed and clothed the workmen, were the real 
capitalists. Society should own these roads. Their usurping 
owners can feed and clothe 3,000,000 of persons. Govern- 
ments are assemblies of rich men to shift the burdens of a 
State on the laborers, to save themselves from them, to give 
privileges and monopolies, so that they can live without do- 
ing any work. For instance, it was a nation's duty to tax 
every family to give Washington a reward; to give him for 
his services 200,000 acres of land was to oppress a few la- 
borers. A great State resorting to selling lands to poor peo- 
ple, to found an agricultural school, is contemptible. Taxa- 
tion is a just plan to pay public debts, it is equal on all.* 

In feudal times men exacted tolls for traveling on roads; 
this custom still exists. As population increases it will be a 
great source of oppression. Roman history tells us that Ti- 
berius Gracchus resolved to improve the condition of the 
common people. He saw indigent freemen working for aris- 
tocratic nobles. To emancipate them he had laws passed, 
limiting the nobles to 500 acres of land, and their minor chil- 
dren to 250. To slaves he gave land. We need some presi- 
dent or statesman who will gain for our laborers more of 
the comforts and conveniences of life. 

When Catholic missionaries visited England, it was filled 

■^Many will say it will not do for governments to own, or do so much, there 
will be cheating. Abolish taxes and derive revenue from public works, give 
the managers their places for life, a salary, a percentage, and a pension in age. 
You will find more fidelity among the humble than the rich. Persons living 
plainly will be the most honest, I reason from my own feelings. I do not 
wish to burden my mind with any wrong act to torment my dying hour. 

My book-making task is ended. It is painful to oppose what men call es- 
tablished truths. I have done it reluctantly, impelled by the trials and privations 
of some of my own class. I regret I have not given them a better book, free 
from grammatical errors. I am sincere in the belief that the robberies of the 
government, the acquisitions and luxury of the rich, cause a part of society to 
be vicious and vindictive, filling this nation with lewdness, crime, and poverty. 



420 The Laborer ; 

with the remains of Roman barbarism, Saxon rudeness, ig- 
norance of the rites of marriage, and Druidical cruelty that 
required the sacrifice of human beings. These priests made 
a mighty change, by a division of labor and frugal living. 
They have erected beautiful, architectural piles that are the 
admiration of men, which became to the rude people schools 
of learning, refinement, music and arts, hiding-places to the 
down-trodden, refuges to the poor slave, homes to the hun- 
gry wanderer, an asylum to the friendless, a resting place 
to heavenly pilgrims from the follies of a wicked world. 

Within those religious houses was the scriptory of the pa- 
tient monk, whose busy pen filled the library of his monastery y 
and has given us glimpses into the past. The ornamenting 
of the church with paintings and sculpture also occupied the 
recluses' time. Nuns taught needle-work, embroidery, and 
the adorning of the altar with linens and laces. 

This period was to the English laborers their best days. 
No commerce to take away food for diamonds, no paupers, . 
or national debts. The Pope, to obtain a larger Peter-pence^ 
sent Italian priests, whose exactions made enemies, and was a 
cause of breaking up this system. The arts introduced, the 
culture taught, were not lost. Rich men, having lands, ap- 
propriated these arts to their pleasures. Changes are yet to 
take place in society. The power of rich men, like that of 
the monks, must pass away. The laborer must become a la- 
boring capitalist, and not a capitalist's laborer. He must be- 
come moral, sober, and intellectual, to obtain this position. 




